PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

BV  4501  .M484  1892 
Meyer,  F.  B.  1847-1929 
Christian  living 

if- 


^'Feio  books  of  recent  years  are  better  adapted  to  in- 
struct and  help  Christians  than  those  of  this  author. 
He  is  a  man  mighty  in  the  Scriptures."— D  L.  Moody. 


WRITINGS  OF  REV,  F.  B.  MEYER. 


We  have  learned  to  take  up  with  eagerness  whatever 
bears  the  name  of  this  author.— Standard. 

Eminently  the  offering  of  a  heart  full  of  the  love  of  God. 
—Magazine  of  Christian  Literature. 

He  will  point  out  to  many  a  reader  unsuspected  truth 
and  beauty  in  the  Scriptures.—  Watchman. 

The  Life  and  Light  of  Men Si 

Tried  BY  Fire.    Expositions  of  ist  Peter,  i 

Moses:  The  Max  of  God ...    i 

Israel:   A  Prince  with  God i 

Abraham  ;  or,  The  Obedience  of  Faith,  i 
Elijah,  and  the  Secret  of  His  Power,  i 

The  Shepherd  Psalm 

Christian  Living 

Present  Tenses  of  the  Blessed  Life, 


ENVELOPE  SERIES  OF  BOOKLETS. 


The  Chambers  of  the  King. 
With  Christ  in  Separation. 
Seven  Rules  for  Dpily  Living. 
The    Secret    of    Victory    over 

Sin. 
The  First  Step  into  the  Blessed 

Life. 
Words  of  Help  for    Christian 

Girls. 
The  Filling  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  Stewardship  of  Money. 
In  the  Secret  of  His  Presence. 


Where  am  I  Wrong  ? 
Young  Men,  Don't  Drift! 
The  Lost  Chord  Found, 
Why  Sign  the  Pledge? 
The  Secret  of  Power. 
The  Secret  of  Guidance 
Peace,  Perfect  Peace 
How  to  Read  your  Bible. 
Burdens,  and    What    to    Do 

with  Them. 
The  Blessed  Dead. 
Not  Eradication. 


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FLEMING    H.  REVELL    COMPANY. 


CHRISTIAN  LIVING. 

Rev.  F.  B.  MEYER,  B.A., 


AUTHOR  OF 


'Elijah:  and  the  Secret  of  His  Power; 
'■'■  Israel:  a  Prince  with  God;^* 

ETC.,  ETC. 


"We  thus  judge,  .  .  .  that  they  which  live  should  not 
henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  which  died 
for  them  and  rose  again." — 2  CoR.  v.  14,  15. 


NEW  YORK  ANo  CHICAGO. 

JlcminQ  1b.  IRevell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical   Literature. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1892,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY,  in  the  Office  of  the 
Librarian  of  Congress    at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PREFACE. 

^^^HESE  chapters  contain  the  essence 
^"^  of  Addresses  delivered  at  several 
Conferences  and  Missions,  in  which 
they  have  been  wonderfully  used  to  the 
quickening  of  the  children  of  God. 

Looked  at  in  this  form,  they  seem  as 
unlikely  to  produce  life  as  the  rod  which 
was  laid  in  vain  on  the  face  of  the  dead 
child  (2  Kings  iv.  31).  Yet  may  He  who 
caused  the  rod  of  Aaron  to  bud  and  bear 
fruit  graciously  bless  these  words  after 
like  manner;  and  use  them  to  answer 
some  of  the  questions  which  are  being 
so  eagerly  asked  on  all  sides,  as  to  the 
attainment  of  a  nobler  ideal  of  Christian 
Living. 


CONTENTS. 

Page. 

I.  The   Appropriation   of 

Christ 9 

II.   Christ's  Proprietorship  . .  27 

III.  Reciprocal  Indwelling.  . .  41 

IV.  "Sin"  AND  "Sins" 58 

V.   The  Will 'j^ 

VI.   Guidance 95 

VII.   The  Fulness  of  THE  Spirit  114 

VIII.   Our  Work  for  Christ.  .. .  134 

IX.   Concluding  Words 149 


CHRISTIAN  LIVING, 


-oO> 


Zbc  Bpproprlatlon  of  Cbrist 

Put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."— Romans  xz/z.  14. 

^T  the  beginning  of  the  Christian 
life,  for  the  most  part  at  least,  we 
try  to  imitate  Jesus  Christ.  There  is 
Scriptural  warrant  for  our  doing  so. 
And  the  time  will  never  come  when  we 
may  not  look  up  to  Him  as  our  model 
and  ideal,  with  that  eager,  longing  gaze 
which  must  exert  something  of  a  trans- 
forming influence.  But  if  this  be  all, 
we  shall  find  our  Christian  life  one  of 
unutterable  disappointment  and  sorrow. 
The  infinite  beauty  and  glory  of  our 
ideal  must  ever  distance  our  noblest 
efforts,  as  the  inaccessible  heights  of  the 


I  o    trbe  Hpproprtatton  of  (Tbrlst 

Jungfrau,  clad  in  untrodden  snows,  rise 
higher  and  ever  higher  above  the  tra- 
veller as  he  approaches  them  along  the 
valley  at  their  foot. 

In  a  railway  carriage  recently  I  was 
attracted  by  the  earnest  look  on  the 
face  of  a  young  man  who  was  reading 
"The  Imitation  of  Christ."  Some  kin- 
ship of  spirit  drew  me  to  his  side,  and 
the  conversation  naturally  opened  by  a 
reference  to  the  holy  meditations  of  the 
almost  unknown  saint,  which  has  be- 
come part  of  the  household  literature 
of  the  Church.  Without  depreciating 
that  precious  manual  of  the  holy  life,  I 
ventured  to  suggest  that  "imitation* 
alone  was  insufficient  for  the  purpose 
we  had  in  view ;  and  that  there  was  a 
more  excellent  way. 

Years  ago,  when  a  lad  at  school,  ther^ 
was  failure  in  my  attempts  to  imitate 
with  clumsy  fingers  the  smooth  cop- 
per-plate at  the  head  of  my  copy-book, 
nor  was  there  better  success  in  the  en- 


3t  is  a  Scriptural  XTbouobt*     1 1 

deavor  to  imitate  the  finished  drawing 
placed  upon  the  easel;  and  the  captain 
of  the  school  could  throw  cricket-ball 
and  hammer  for  almost  as  many  yards, 
as  the  slender  arms  of  his  imitator  could 
throw  them  feet.  Yes,  and  as  year 
after  year  I  have  tried  to  imitate  the 
matchless  glories  of  Jesus  Christ,  there 
has  been  the  same  weary  sense  of  fail- 
ure, beneath  which  heart  and  hope  have 
sunk  down  baffled  and  disappointed. 

There  is  another  word,  which  carries 
with  it  the  inspiration  of  a  new  hope, 
and  speaks  of  the  possibilities  of  faith 
— the  word  Appropriation.  Let  us  not 
be  content  with  the  effort  to  imitate 
Christ;  let  us  appropriate  Him,  as  the 
flowers  of  spring  and  the  fruits  of 
autumn  appropiate  the  properties  of  the 
sap  and  dew  and  balmy  air,  and  all  the 
glorious  forces  that  lie  hid  in  sunbeams. 

This  thought  is  Scriptural.  What  is  it 
but  another  way  of  expressing  the 
Apostle's  exortation    to    "put   on   the 


1 2   Ube  appropriation  of  Cbvist 

Lord  Jesus  Christ"?  (Rom.  xiii.  14.)  In 
Him,  by  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Father, 
all  fulness  dwells,  that  we  might  re- 
ceive of  it  grace  upon  grace;  and  that 
reception  is  but  another  term  for  ap- 
propriation. In  giving  us  His  Son,  the 
Father  hath  given  unto  us  all  things 
that  pertain  unto  life  and  godliness; 
but  that  gracious  provision  avails  us 
nothing  until  we  claim  and  appropriate 
it  by  a  living  faith.  The  promises  are 
all  ours:  but  they  are  vain  until  we  lay 
upon  them  the  hand  of  appropriating 
proprietorship;  and,  as  heirs,  enter  upon 
our  inheritance.  All  true  faith  must 
have  in  it  this  thought  of  appropriation. 
We  first  know  by  hearing  what  are  our 
glorious  privileges  and  rights.  Then 
we  reckon  that  the  record  is  true.  And, 
finally,  we  begin  to  use  that  which  has 
been  so  freely  given.  Like  the  pilgrim- 
saints  of  olden  days,  "we  are  persuaded 
of  them,  and  embrace  them."  (Heb. 
xi.  13.) 


This  thought  is  also  confirmed  by  ex- 
perieiice.  A  little  group  of  earnest  men 
were  gathered  not  long  ago  around  a 
fire,  eagerly  discussing  the  methods  of 
a  holy  life,  and  reciting  their  own  ex- 
periences of  the  grace  of  God.  One 
had  recently  entered  upon  the  gladness 
of  a  life  of  entire  consecration,  and 
spoke  fervently  of  his  new-found  joys. 
But  when  his  story  was  told,  a  venerable 
clergyman  expressed  his  disappoint- 
ment at  an  experience  which  was  only 
negative,  and  told  so  little  of  the  posi- 
tive side  of  the  appropriation  of  Christ. 

Years  before,  when  engaged  in  a 
gathering  of  unruly  and  noisy  children, 
he  had  been  suddenly  driven  to  claim 
from  the  Saviour  the  gift  of  his  own 
gentle  patience,  in  the  words,  *'Thy 
patience,  Lord!"  And  instantly  so  divine 
a  calm  filled  his  spirit  that  he  realized 
that  he  had  made  a  great  discovery. 
And  from  that  moment  he  had  retained 
the  extremes  of  his  brief  petition,  in- 


1 4   XTbe  Hppr oprtation  ot  Cbrtst 

serting  between  them  the  grace,  the  lack 
of  which  was  hurrying  him  to  sin.  In 
moments  of  weakness,  "Thy  strength. 
Lord!"  or  in  moments  of  conscious 
strength,  "Thy  humility.  Lord!"  When 
assailed  by  unholy  suggestions,  "Thy 
purity,  Lord!"  or  when  passing  through 
deep  waters  of  trial,  "Thy  resignation 
and  restfulness.  Lord!"  What  is  this 
but  a  living  example  of  the  appropria- 
tion of  Christ? 

T/iis  thought  would  light  up  the  darkest, 
saddest  life.  We  sadly  chide  ourselves 
for  our  failures;  and  yet  we  are  op- 
pressed by  the  weary  consciousness  that 
we  are  all  too  likely  to  repeat  them. 
We  catch  glimpses  of  ideals  in  the  lives 
of  others,  and  in  our  own  happier  mo- 
ments, that  only  mock  us.  We  fail  to 
adorn  the  Gospel  of  God  our  Saviour 
in  all  things,  because  we  lack  the  ma- 
terials for  the  beautiful  garments  of  our 
array.  And  all  this  because  we  do  not 
realize  that  all  of  Jesus  is  for  us;  only 


Gives  5o^  anb  Strengtb*      1 5 

waiting  for  us  to  appropriate   it  with 
exceeding  joy. 

Jesus  Christ  is  an  Armory,  in  which 
hang  armour  for  defence,  and  weapons 
for  attack.  Happy  is  he  who  has 
learned  to  enter  the  sacred  arsenal,  to 
gird  on  the  breast-plate  and  helmet,  and 
to  lay  his  hand  to  spear  and  sword! 
Christ  is  a  Banqueting-house,  in  which 
the  tables  groan  beneath  the  weight  of 
all  that  is  needed  for  the  supply  of  ap- 
petite and  the  gratification  of  taste. 
Happy  is  he  who  makes  free  of  the  rich 
provision,  and  comes  to  it  whenever  he 
needs!  Christ  is  a  Surgery,  stored  with 
all  manner  of  restoritives  and  blessed 
elixirs;  nor  lacks  an  ointment  for  every 
wound,  a  cordial  for  every  faintness,  a 
remedy  for  every  disease.  Happy  is  he 
who  is  well-skilled  in  heavenly  phar- 
macy, and  knoweth  how  to  avail  himself 
of  his  healing  virtues:  Christ  is  the 
Jewel-room,  in  which  the  graces  of  the 
Christian  are  held  in  strong  and  safe 


16   Ube  Hpproprtatton  ot  Cbrist 

keeping.  Happy  is  he  who  knows  which 
is  the  key  to  the  massive  doors,  so  that 
he  can  go  in  and  out  at  his  will,  and  array 
himself  in  "whatsoever  things  are  love- 
ly, and  whatsoever  things  are  of  good 
report! "  With  burning  words  like  these 
the  saintly  heart  expatiates  on  the  ful- 
ness of  Christ.  But,  after  all,  how  inade- 
quate the  words  are  to  express  all  the 
rapture,  the  strength,  the  grace,  which 
become  the  spending-money  of  the  man 
who  has  learnt  to  appropriate  the  Lord 
Jesus!  He  moves  from  the  attic  into 
comfortable  apartments.  He  becomes 
a  first-class  traveller  by  the  most  luxu- 
rious route.  He  no  longer  laments  his 
leanness;  but  cries  with  the  ring  of  a 
new  hope,  "I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  me." 

It  is  difficult  —  nay,  impossible — to 
employ  words  sufficiently  emphatic,  or 
forcible,  to  enforce  this  habit  of  Christ- 
appropriation  on  Christian  hearts.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say  that  it  would  be  as  life 


Hs  ©ur  TKIllst)om*  17 

from  the  dead  for  many  who  read  these 
lines,  and  whose  life  has  been  a  series 
of  disappointments.  Let  us  work  it  out 
in  one  or  two  directions,  as  suggested 
by  the  Apostle  when  he  says:  "Of 
Him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God 
is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteous- 
ness, and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion." (i  Cor.  i.  30.)     Let  us 

I.  Appropriate  Christ  as  our  Wisdom. 
Many  true  Christains  find  it  difficult 
to  know  the  will  of  God.  They  long  to 
do  it,  if  only  they  knew  it;  but  it  is  hid- 
den from  their  eyes.  "Should  I  move 
to  another  town  ?  "  "  Should  I  take  such 
a  step  in  business?"  "Should  I  enter 
into  such  a  partnership,  or  ally  myself 
with  such  an  enterprise?"  "Should  I 
embark  in  this  new  branch  of  Christian 
activity?"  Such  questions  are  con- 
stantly arising  and  pressing  for  an  an- 
swer in  all  our  lives;  and  as  they  do  so 
they  excite  the  instant  inquiry,  "  Lord, 


1 8   Ube  Hpproprlatton  of  Cbrtst, 

what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?" 

But  how  may  we  know  God's  will? 
That  is  not  always  easy.  Yet  the  diffi- 
culty is  not  in  Him.  He  does  not  wish 
us  to  grope  painfully  in  the  dark.  Nay, 
He  is  ever  giving  us  many  signs  and 
hints  as  to  the  way  we  should  take,  too 
delicate  to  be  perceived  by  the  coarse 
eye  of  sense,  but  clear  enough  to  those 
who  are  divested  of  self-will  and  pride, 
and  only  anxious  to  know  and  do  the 
holy  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of 
God. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  seek  a  sign  from 
heaven;  to  run  from  counsellor  to  coun- 
sellor; to  cast  a  lot;  or  to  trust  to  some 
chance  coincidence.  Not  that  God  may 
not  reveal  His  will  thus;  but  because  it 
is  hardly  the  behaviour  of  a  child  with 
its  Father.  There  is  a  more  excellent 
way.  Let  the  heart  be  quieted  and 
stilled  in  the  presence  of  God;  weaned 
from  all  earthly  distractions  and  world- 
ly ambitions.     Let  the  voice  of  the  Son 


Hs  ©ur  IRigbteousness*       19 

of  God  hush  into  perfect  rest  the  storms 
that  sweep  the  lake  of  the  inner  life, 
and  ruffle  its  calm  surface.  Let  the 
whole  being  be  centred  on  God  Him- 
self. And  then,  remembering  that  all 
who  lack  wisdom  are  to  ask  it  of  God, 
and  that  Jesus  Christ  is  already  made 
unto  us  wisdom,  let  us  quietly  appro- 
priate Him,  in  that  capacity,  by  faith; 
and  then  go  forward,  perhaps  not  con- 
scious of  any  increase  of  wisdom,  or 
able  to  see  far  in  front;  but  sure  that 
we  shall  be  guided,  as  each  new  step 
must  be  taken,  or  word  spoken,  or  de- 
cision made.  It  is  an  immense  help  in 
any  difficulty  to  say,  "  I  take  thee.  Lord 
Jesus,  as  my  wisdom,"  and  to  do  the 
next  thing,  nothing  doubting;  assured 
that  He  will  not  permit  those  who  trust 
in  Him  to  be  ashamed. 

n.    Let  us  appropriate  Christ  as  our 
Righteousness. 
It  is   not   necessary  to   convince  the 
readers  of  these  lines  that  they  need  a 


20   Ube  Hpproprtatlon  of  Cbttst 

righteousness,  in  whose  stainless  white 
they  may  stand  accepted  before  the 
Holy  Father.  That,  alas!  is  but  too  ap- 
parent. Conscious  of  our  nakedness 
and  sin,  we  once  sought  to  establish 
our  ownrighteousness, stitching  together 
the  fig-leaves,  which  died  as  we  plucked 
them,  and  became  sere  and  shrivelled. 
But  since  then  we  have  submitted  our- 
selves to  the  righteousness  of  God, 
which  is  by  faith.  There  is  often,  how- 
ever, an  apparent  doubt  in  Christian 
hearts  as  to  their  relation  to  that  right- 
eousness; and  they  do  not  realize  that, 
whether  they  feel  it  not,  it  is,  neverthe- 
less, covering  them,  in  all  its  radiant 
beauty;  for  in  the  thought  of  God, 
every  believer  is  arrayed  in  the  beaute- 
ous dress  of  the  Saviour's  finished  work. 
"It  is  UPON  all  them  that  believe." 
(Rom.  iii.  22.)  There  is  only  one  kind 
of  faith,  and  directly  it  is  exercised, 
though  amid  many  doubts  and  fears, 
the  believer  is  justified,  accepted  in  the 


as  Onv  IRigbteousness*       21 

Beloved,  and  accounted  not  only  as  for- 
giv^en,  but  as  righteous  in  the  sight  of 
God.  This  is  so,  whether  it  be  realized 
or  not. 

The  first  moment  of  faith  is  the  time 
when  we  begin  to  appropriate  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ.  At  first  it  is  with 
trembling  hands  that  we  gird  ourselves 
in  the  dress  that  cost  our  Lord  so  much. 
We  fear,  as  we  enter  the  most  holy 
place,  and  stand  where  angels  worship; 
but,  as  the  days  pass  on,  and  we  learn 
more  of  its  efficiency,  its  adaptation  to 
our  need,  and  its  preciousness  in  the 
sight  of  God,  we  become  more  assured 
of  our  position,  and  notwithstanding  re- 
peated failures  in  the  past,  the  misgiv- 
ings of  nature,  and  the  taunts  of  hell, 
we  have  boldness  to  enter  into  that 
which  is  within  the  vail. 

Jesus  Christ  has  been  made  to  us 
righteousness  by  God;  but  He  needs  to 
be  appropriated  by  faith  when  we  are 
first   convinced  of  sin,  and  ever   after, 


22  ube  Hppropriatton  of  Cbrlst 

when  conscious  of  our  worthlessness 
and  guilt.  How  triumphant  the  ejacu- 
lation, "Jesus,  I  flee  unto  Thee  to  hide 
me;  I  appropriate  Thee  as  my  right- 
eousness before  God!" 

"I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  God:  for 
He  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments 
of  salvation,  He  hath  covered  me  with 
the  robe  of  righteousness." 

HI.    Let  us  appropriate  Christ  as  our 
Sanctification. 

Sanctification  is  separation  —  separa- 
tion from  sin;  separation  to  God,  to  the 
point  of  devotion.  There  often  arises 
before  us  the  vision  of  a  devoted  life; 
such  a  life  as  Jesus  lived,  whose  only 
thought  was  to  do  the  will  of  God.  To 
recognize  God  as  the  sole  source  of  holi- 
ness. To  lean  on  Him,  and  to  listen  foV 
His  voice  within  the  heart  as  the  sole 
and  sufficient  guide.  To  live  apart  from 
the  restless  aims  and  fretting  ambitions 


Hs  Qixv  Sanctificatton,        23 

of  men.  To  be  separate  from  sin — holy, 
harmless,  and  without  rebuke.  To  keep 
ever  in  touch  with  God  and  His  thoughts 
and  aims.  To  obey  him  at  all  hazards 
and  costs.  To  be  the  channel  through 
which  the  river  of  God  may  flow  down 
into  earths  desert  places,  making  them 
rejoice  and  blossom — ah,  what  an  ideal 
is  here ! 

Yet  at  first  this  ideal  mocks  us  sore- 
ly. It  is  high,  we  cannot  attain  unto  it. 
And  we  shall  be  beaten  by  repeated 
failures  until  we  learn  the  secret,  which 
is  just  now  our  chosen  theme.  Apart 
from  that,  there  is  nothing  for  us,  but 
sadly  to  renounce  the  bright  vision 
as  impossible;  though  perhaps  reserved 
for  saintly  hearts  which  spend  their 
time  in  cloistered  piety. 

But  it  is  brought  within  the  range  of 
the  humblest  and  weakest  disciple,  who 
renounces  all  hope  of  realizing  it  through 
nature's  efforts,  and  who  appropriates 
Christ  in  his  all-sufficiency.     Trust  the 


24    Ubc  Hppropriatton  of  Cbrtst 

Holy  Spirit  to  work  in  you  a  perpetual 
remembrance  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  and 
then  avail  yourself  of  Him  in  all  His 
offices  and  work.  And  amongst  other 
aspects,  be  sure  to  appropriate  Him  as 
your  sanctification.  When  tempted  to 
cross  the  line  of  separation,  or  to  relax 
the  energy  of  your  devotion,  look  up- 
ward, and  say,  "Be  thou  to  me  in  fact 
that  which  the  Father  has  already  made 
Thee,  in  possibility  and  by  right,  my 
Sanctification." 

IV.   Let  us  appropriate  Christ  as  our 
Redemption. 

We  have  been  redeemed  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  because  He  was  made 
a  curse  for  us.  But  we  long  to  be  re- 
deemed from  the  power  of  sin.  "The 
good  we  would,  we  do  not;  the  evil  we 
would  not,  we  do."  And  this  longing 
shall  be  met;  because  it  would  not  be 
like  our  God  to  leave  us  to  the  mercy 
of  the  strong  Pharaoh-like  foes,  which 


Bs  Qxw  1Re&emption.  25 

have  made  us  serve  under  cruel  bondage 
for  so  long.  He  must  come  down  to 
deliver  us.  Ah,  what  joyful  news  it  is 
that  He  has  done  so,  and  has  provided 
a  sufficient  deliverance  in  Jesus, 

But  this  redemption  waits  our  appro- 
priation, as  the  flowers  of  spring  await 
the  hand  of  the  flower-girl;  or  as  the 
deliverance  wrought  for  the  Jews  by 
Mordecai  awaited  their  personal  action, 
which  made  it  their  own.  From  this 
moment  give  up  your  strivings  and  en- 
deavors, and  take  Christ  as  your  deliv- 
erance from  all  the  sins  which  have 
broken  your  peace,  and  cursed  your 
joy.  When  the  oppressor  approaches 
you;  when  the  old  habit  seeks  to  assert 
itself;  when  easily  besetting  sin  begins 
to  weave  its  snare  about  you,  or  sudden- 
ly to  assail — then  look  up  to  the  Saviour, 
and  say,  **  I  appropriate  Thee  as  my  re- 
demption in  this  my  hour  of  need  ! " 

A  lady  travelling  in  the  Southern 
States,  after  President  Lincoln  had  pro- 


26   Ube  Bppropriation  of  Cbrist 

claimed  the  freedom  of  the  slaves,  found 
a  black  woman,  who  was  acting  as  a 
slave,  because  she  did  not  know  that 
her  race  was  free.  She  had  heard  ru- 
mors, which  her  owner  and  others  had 
denounced  as  lies.  But  as  soon  as  she 
knew  that  she  was  free,  see  appropri- 
ated her  freedom,  and  went  forth  into 
liberty.  Let  it  be  clearly  understood 
that  the  Son  has  made  us  free,  who 
bear  His  name;  let  us  avail  ourselves  of 
our  right;  and  go  forth  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 

This  is  the  secret,  then,  of  a  glad  and 
victorious  life,  unshadowed  by  cloud  or 
defeat:  Jesus  Christ  for  all  who  believe; 
awaiting  only  the  appropriation  of  the 
most  trembling  hand  stretched  out  to- 
wards Him  in  expectation  of  faith. 

It  is  a  goodly  land  which  the  Lord 
our  god  giveth  us  in  which  scarceness 
and  penury  are  unknown.  Let  us  not 
linger  on  the  threshold,  but  go  in  to 
possess  it  with  songs  of  thanksgiving. 


II. 


Cbrlst's  proprtetorsbtp* 


"V/hose  I  am,  and  Whom  I  Serve." — Acts  xxvii.  23. 

fN  the  "Song  of  Songs,  which  is  Solo- 
^  mon's,"  there  is  a  beautiful  gradation 
of  expression,  which  significantly  illus- 
trites  the  successive  steps  in  the  expe- 
rience of  the  soul.  Thrice  does  the 
bride  speak  of  the  Bridegroom  in  similar 
terms;  but  in  each  case  there  is  a  slight 
alteration  in  the  phraseology,  which 
speaks  volumes  of  her  deepening  char- 
acter, and  truer  attitude  towards  Him. 

•'My  Beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  His." 
(Song  of  Solomon  ii.  i6.)  "I  am  my 
Beloved's,  and  my  Beloved  is  mine." 
(vi.  3.)  "I  am  my  Beloved's,  and  His 
desire  is  toward  me."     (vii.  lO.) 


28      (Tbrtst's  propdetorsbtp. 


At  first  she  lays  the  chief  stress  on  the 
thought  that  all  her  Beloved  was  hers, 
and  that  she  had  a  right  to  employ  con- 
cerning Him  the  appropriating  pronoun 
My;  it  was  only  a  secondary  consider- 
ation that  she  was  also  His. 

But  as  her  thought  ran  on,  she 
changed  the  relative  place  of  the  two 
clauses  of  the  sentence,  and  laid  her  pri- 
mal emphasis  not  on  her  appropriation 
of  Him,  but  on  his  proprietorship  of 
her:     "I  am  His." 

And,  lastly,  this  conception  so  filled 
her  mind  that  she  had  no  thought  of 
her  side  of  the  matter,  and  was  alto- 
gether absorbed  in  the  happy  conscious- 
ness that  she  belonged  utterly,  and  for 
ever,  to  the  object  of  her  supreme  and 
adoring  love. 

This  is  also  the  history  of  each  scholar 
in  the  school  of  grace.  We  begin  by 
calculating  how  much  there  is  in  Christ 
for  us.  We  appropriate  His  fulness, 
and  count  ourselves  millionaires  in  His 


XTbe  IRunawap  Slave.         29 

wealth.  And  there  is  no  wrong  or  harm 
in  this.  But,  as  the  days  pass  on,  we 
realize  that  there  is  a  yet  profounder  truth 
on  which  this  rests;  and  to  have  that  is 
to  have  in  addition  all  that  Christ  can 
be  and  do  for  the  soul  which  clings  to 
Him  —  as  the  limpet  to  the  rock  on 
which  the  long  line  of  waves  breaks, 
with  boom  of  thunder  and  clouds  of 
spray,  without  detaching  it  from  its 
hold.  We  begin  by  saying,  Christ  is 
mi7ie:  we  go  on  to  say,  Ia?it  His.  We  pass 
from  the  appropriation  of  Christ  by  us 
to  the  proprietorship  of  us  by  Christ. 
And  this  is  surely  a  happier  and  better 
standing- ground:  because  the  hand, 
which  appropriates  only,  may  become 
numbed  and  tired;  but  that  which  is 
locked  in  the  hand  of  Christ,  in  the 
tight  grasp  of  ownership,  can  never  be 
withdrawn. 

Did  you,  my  Christian  reader,  ever 
realize  the  conception  that  you  are  ab- 
solutely Christ's?     You  may  not  own  it: 


30      Cbrlst's  proprtetorsbtp, 

you  may  not  live  beneath  its  power: 
nay,  you  may  seek  to  cast  the  thought 
aside;  as  Onesimus,  who,  when  he  fled 
from  Ephesus  to  hide  himself,  truant  that 
he  was,  in  the  slums  of  Rome,  tried  to 
forget  the  claims  which  Philemon,  his 
master,  had  over  him,  by  right  of  pur- 
chase. All  this  you  may  do:  and  yet, 
in  spite  of  all,  you  are  as  much  Christ's 
property  as  any  slave  would  be  the 
chattel  of  the  man  who  had  paid  down 
his  price  in  the  market,  or  who  had 
received  him  as  part  of  the  family 
estate  by  right  of  inheritance. 

And  not  only  are  yon  the  property  of 
Christ;  but  all  you  are  and  have  is  His 
also.  The  master  owns  not  only  the 
slave,  but  all  the  proceeds  of  his  toils; 
and  all  the  personal  or  other  property 
which  he  may  acquire.  The  hapless 
serf  can  point  to  nothing  as  his;  all  is 
his  master's.  He  is  but  a  steward, 
bound  to  account  for  the  way  in  which 
every  coin  is  expended;  at  the  best  per- 


IRcsts  on  /IDanp  6rount)6»       31 

mitted  to  deduct  from  the  general  pro- 
ceeds of  the  estate  only  a  bare  sufficiency 
for  his  personal  maintenance;  but  ex- 
pected to  forward  all  the  rest  to  his 
master,  or  expend  it  on  such  interests  as 
he  may  direct.  This  is  our  rightful 
position  with  respect  to  Christ.  Paul 
was  proud  to  call  himself  the  bond-slave 
of  Jesus  Christ.  He  chose  as  his  motto 
the  immortal  words  (badge  of  a  slavery 
which  does  not  degrade,  but  enobles  all 
who  bend  beneath  its  yoke),  "Whose  I 
am,  and  whom  I  serve." 

I.  Christ's  Proprietorship  rests  on 
MANY  Grounds. 

We  are  His  <^j/  Creatio?i:  His  image 
and  superscription  have  been  stamped 
upon  every  lineament  of  our  face,  though 
almost  obliterated  as  the  effigy  of  the 
sovereign  from  a  well-worn  coin.  "  It  is 
He  that  hath  made  us,  and  His  we  are." 

We  are  His  by  Purchase:  for  never 
was  slave   more  certainly  acquired  by 


32      Cbrist's  iproprtetorsbtp^ 

silver  and  gold  than  we  have  been 
bought  by  His  precious  blood.  "Ye  are 
not  your  own,  ye  are  bought  with  a 
price,  wherefore  glorify  God  in  your 
body  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  His." 

We  are  His  by  Deed  of  Gift:  for  the 
Father  has  given  to  Him  all  who  shall 
come  to  Him;  and  it  is  impossible  to 
believe  that  donation  could  be  of  any- 
thing less  than  our  whole  being.  When 
God  gave  us,  He  gave  all  of  us. 

We  are  His  by  Cojiqiiest:  for  the  Man- 
soul  of  our  inner  nature  has  opened  to 
Him  her  gates,  unable  longer  to  resist; 
and,  even  though  He  be  not  as  yet  re- 
cognized in  all  her  environs,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  He  is  her  rightful  Lord 
and  King. 

Ah!  it  is  impossible  to  escape  the 
fact,  that  in  the  thought  of  God,  and 
according  to  the  rights  of  the  case,  we 
are  the  absolute  property  of  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Lord:  and  that  he  thinks  much  of 
that  fact,  is  evident  in  the  frequent  re- 


35  Bbsolute.  33 

ferences  of  His  High-priestly  prayer 
(John  xvii.),  though  we,  alas!  are  too 
forgetful  of  His  claims. 

H.  The  Act  of  Consecration  consists 
IN  THE  Recognition  of  Christ's  ab- 
solute Proprietorship. 
Men  often  ask  and  wonder  what  that 
consecration  is  to  which  they  are  urged. 
They  suppose  that  it  is  something  alto- 
gether over  and  beyond  what  is  ex- 
pected from  ordinary  Christians.  But 
this  is  a  profound  mistake.  Consecra- 
tion is  simply  giving  Christ  His  own, 
and  restoring  stolen  property  to  its 
rightful  owner.  Consecration  is  to  give 
to  Christ  by  choice  that  which  is  His 
by  indefeasible  right;  but  which  He 
will  not  snatch  from  any  one. 

The  men  of  Israel  were  David's  by 
God's  appointment;  but  they  could  not 
rest  content  until  they  had  swum  the  Jor- 
dan at  its  flood,  and  had  fallen  at  the  feet 
of  their  rightful  king,  crying,  "Thine 


34      Cbrtst's  iproprtetorsbtp^ 

are  we,  David;  and  on  thy  side,  thou 
son  of  Jesse."  (i  Chron.  xii.  i-i8.) 
Should  we  be  content  without  saying  as 
much  to  our  Saviour,  Jesus? 

Of  course  we  all  in  a  general  way  re- 
cognize Christ's  ownership.  "We  are 
His  people,  and  the  sheep  of  his  pas- 
ture." But  we  must  do  it  in  a  particular 
and  personal  sense.  We  must  crown 
Him  King  of  our  hearts  and  lives  by  our 
own  glad  choice.  We  must  bring  the 
whole  of  our  nature  and  life  under  His 
direct  control.  We  must  be  willing  that 
His  will  should  be  as  supreme,  and  as 
universally  honored,  in  us,  as  it  is  in  His 
own  bright  home.  We  must  come  to 
the  point  of  saying  something  like  this: 
"Lord  Jesus,  I  am  Thine  by  right;  for- 
give me  for  having  lived  so  long  as  if  I 
were  my  own.  I  now  gladly  recognize 
that  Thou  hast  a  rightful  claim  on  all  I 
have  and  am;  I  want  to  live  as  Thine 
from  henceforth;  and  I  do  solemnly  at 
this  hour  give  myself  to  Thee,  by  my  own 


personal  Gonsecratton.       35 

glad  choice  :    Thine  entirely:    Thine  in 
life  and  death:    Thine  forever." 

III.  There  are  a  Few  Cautions  and 
Directions  necessary  in  this  Act 
OF  Consecration. 

( 1 )  The  act  of  consecration  is  the 
taking-up  of  an  attitude,  which  must 
never  be  renounced;  or  if  it  is  lost  for  a 
moment,  it  must  instantly  be  resumed, 
with  prayer  for  forgiveness  and  for 
cleansing.  But  this  is  only  possible 
through  the  gracious  aid  of  the  Eternal 
Spirit,  through  whom  the  Lord  Jesus 
offered  Himself  without  spot  to  God; 
and  through  whom  alone,  we  shall  be 
able  to  take  up  and  maintain  this  sacred 
attitude. 

(2)  As  the  light  grows  we  shall  be- 
come increasingly  aware  of  new  depart- 
ments of  our  heart  and  life,  that  were 
not  consciously  included  in  our  first 
glad  act  of  surrender.  But  as  they  come 
to  view,  we  must  hand  them  also  into 


36      Cbrist's  proprtetorsbtp. 

the  governorship  of  the  King.  We  must 
send  them  on,  as  we  might  send  on  the 
loose  sheets  of  a  book  to  a  friend,  who 
had  already  taken  away  the  bulk. 

{3)  There  is  no  reason,  in  the  nature 
of  the  case,  why  the  children  of  God 
should  not  become  consecrated  from  the 
very  moment  of  conversion.  It  should 
be  the  normal  state  of  Christians.  And 
with  many  it  is  so.  Redeemed  from 
eternal  death,  they  instantly  give  them- 
selves to  their  Deliverer,  as  those  alive 
from  the  dead.  But  with  most  this  is 
not  the  case.  And  so  it  is  necessary,  at 
some  future  period  of  their  lives,  when 
the  claims  of  Christ  suddenly  break  on 
them,  that  they  should  come  to  the 
definite  point  of  self-surrender. 

(4)  It  matters  little  when,  and  how, 
we  do  it;  whether  by  speech,  or  in 
writing;  whether  alone,  or  in  company. 
But  we  must  not  be  content  with  a  vague 
desire.  There  should  be  a  definite  act, 
at   a   given    moment  of  time,  when  we 


shall  gladly  sign,  and  seal,  and  confess, 
that  we  are  His.     (Isaiah  xliv.  5.) 

(5)  Sometimes  we  may  feel  unable 
to  GIVE  all;  but  we  are  willing  that  He 
should  TAKE  all.  This  is  equally  ac- 
ceptable to  Him.  And  is  it  not  a  better 
and  more  scriptural  way  of  putting  the 
truth?  For  we  might  be  troubled  by 
grievous  questionings,  as  to  whether  we 
had  really  given  all,  or  whether  there 
were  not  some  fatal  flaw^  in  our  act.  But 
if  the  question  is  simply  one  of  His 
taking — or  of  our  being  willing  for  Him 
to  take — entire  possession;  so  that 
every  imagination  is  cast  down,  every 
thought  brought  into  captivity,  and  our 
wills  moulded  into  harmony  with  His: 
then  rough  places  are  made  smooth, 
and  crooked  ones  straight.  This  is  the 
charm  of  Miss  Havergal's  Consecration 
Hymn;  its  key-word  is  —  take! 

(6)  The  ACT  OF  CONSECRATION  is  Can- 
celled by  one  reserve.  To  give  ninety- 
nine  parts  and    to    withhold  the  hun- 


38       Cbrist's  iproprtetorsbip, 

dredth  undoes  the  whole  transaction; 
because  in  that  one  piece  of  reserve  the 
whole  of  the  self-life  entrenches  itself, 
defying  Him.  It  may  seem  impossible 
to  renounce  that  one  thing;  but  in  cling- 
ing to  it,  you  forego  for  ever  all  right 
to  His  blessed  fulness.  The  electrician 
cannot  charge  your  body  with  electrici- 
ty, while  a  single  thread  connects  you 
with  the  ground,  and  breaks  the  com- 
pleteness of  your  insulation.  The  phy- 
sician cannot  undertake  your  case  whilst 
you  conceal  one  symptom,  or  yourself 
seek  to  effect  a  cure  in  one  particular. 
The  Lord  Jesus  cannot  fully  save  you 
whilst  there  is  one  point  of  controversy 
between  you  and  Him.  Let  Him  have 
that  one  last  thing,  the  last  barrier  and 
film  to  a  life  of  blessedness;  and  glory 
will  come,  filling  your  soul. 

(7)  What  we  give,  Christ  takes;  and 
at  the  moment  of  our  giving  it.  There 
may,  perhaps,  be  no  rush  of  emotion. 
We  may  have  no  inward  evidence  of 


IReciprocal  (3i\)ing»  39 

the  momentous  change  in  our  position. 
The  reckoning  may  have  for  many  days 
to  be  one,  not  of  feeling,  but  of  faith. 
We  can  only  say,  "I  am  His;  because  I- 
gave,  and  He  took."  But  sooner  or 
later  we  become  aware  that  the  flames 
of  the  heavenly  fire  have  fallen  on  our 
sacrifice;  feeding  on  it;  appropriating 
it;  cleansing  it;  and  preparing  it  for 
blessed,  holy  service. 

It  is  very  important  to  realize  this 
point.  In  consecration  we  make  the 
same  mistake,  as  is  so  prevalent  in  con- 
version; of  trying  to  feel  in  ourselves 
that  Christ  has  taken  us.  We  must  be- 
lieve He  takes  that  which  we  commit 
to  Him;  though  no  angel  comes  to  as- 
sure us  that  we  are  henceforth  His  own, 

What  we  give,  God  takes;  and  He 
takes  it  in  fire.  We  do  not  always  realize 
all  that  is  involved.  But  it  is  sublime 
to  tread  the  glowing  embers  of  that  fire, 
with  the  Son  of  God  at  our  side,  know- 
ing that  the  restraining  bonds  are  shri- 


40      Cbrtst's  proprietorsbip. 

veiling  at  every  step,  and    that   not    a 
hair  of  our  head  can  perish. 

This  is  CONSECRATION.  And  from  this 
'glad  hour  the  surrendered  one  dares  to 
begin  appropriating  Christ:  a  blessed 
habit,  which  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  becomes  the  practice  of  the  life. 
Reader,  be  persuaded  to  take  this  step. 
Seek  some  lonely  spot,  some  still  hour, 
and  give  yourself  to  Him  who  gave 
Himself  for  you  on  the  Cross;  and  who 
waits  to  give  Himself  continually  to 
you  in  response  to  the  claims  of  your 
appropriating  faith. 


III. 

IRectprocal  3nt)welllnG» 

"Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you." — John  xv.  4, 

•'-^HAT  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of 
^^  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life" 
was  the  aspiration  of  the  man  after  God's 
own  heart.  ( Psalm  xxvii.  4. )  It  became 
his  saintly  soul,  but  it  cannot  be  liter- 
ally realized  in  these  days,  when  there 
is  no  longer  a  material  earthly  sanctu- 
ary. And  yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which 
that  wish  may  be  verified  in  the  history 
of  us  all.  What  is  "the  house  of  the 
Lord,"  but  the  conscious  presence  of 
the  Lord?  And  they  who  have  ac- 
quired the  blessed  habit  of  perpetually 
recollecting  the  nearness  of  Jesus  know 
something,  at  least,  of  that  "dwelling  in 


42       IReciprocal  3n&welling, 

the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,"  and 
"abidinof  under  the  shadow  of  the  Al- 
mighty,"  of  which  the  Psalmist  sang. 
(Psalm  xci.) 

If  only  we  could  acquire  that  blessed 
habit,  and  maintain  that  hallowed  atti- 
tude of  spirit,  we  should  need  few 
exhortations  beside.  We  should  be  per- 
fectly satisfied  with — Himself.  We 
should  hold  all  things  in  Him.  We 
should  fear  no  foe,  fighting  under  the 
Captain's  eye.  We  should  be  set  free 
from  the  power  of  besetting  sin,  as  the 
fire  in  our  grates  is  extinguished  when 
the  sun  shines  brilliantly  upon  the  glow- 
ing embers.  How  strong  —  how  sweet 
—  how  happy  —  should  we  be,  if  only 
we  could  dwell  in  the  unbroken  enjoy- 
ment of  the  presence  of  the  King!  —  so 
that  He  should  be  first  in  every  thought, 
and  act,  and  moment  of  life. 

You  say  that  this  may  be  possible  for 
the  priest,  or  the  saint,  but  not  for  those 
who  are  harassed  with  daily  care:    for 


**HbiDeln/IDe/'  43 

the  cloister,  but  not  for  the  market:  for 
the  holy  day,  but  not  for  the  working 
day,  with  its  dust  and  clamor.  Yet, 
surely,  since  the  Master  bids  us  all  to 
abide  in  Him,  and  stays  not  to  limit  His 
meaning,  or  define  the  character  of 
those  who  are  welcome  to  stand  contin- 
ually in  His  presence,  we  must  infer 
that  He  wishes  to  make  no  distinction, 
but  to  admit  all  His  servants  to  share  in 
the  bright  and  blessed  privilege. 

But  can  the  mind  be  occupied  with 
two  thoughts  at  once?  Perhaps  not: 
yet  —  though  it  may  be  impossible  for 
the  mind  to  entertain  at  the  same  in- 
stant more  than  one  train  of  ideas  — 
beneath  the  mmd  there  is  the  heart,  with 
all  its  sensibilities  and  deep  emotional 
life,  instantly  and  always  alive  to  the 
presence  or  absence  of  some  beloved 
object,  even  when  the  mind  is  most 
busily  engaged. 

The  orator  is  conscious  of  the  pres- 
ence and  appreciation   of  his   audience, 


44       IRecfprocal  JnbweUtna. 

even  when  his  intellect  is  most  busily  en- 
gaged in  furnishing  the  thought  which 
he  is  uttering.  The  business  man,  ab- 
sorbed in  counting  up  his  books,  whilst 
his  wife  is  quietly  occupied  with  her  work 
by  his  side,  is  aware  of  her  sweet  pres- 
ence, at  the  very  moment  when  he  is 
adding  up  the  longest  column  of  figures. 
The  young  mother  may  be  very  busy 
about  the  house,  tidying  the  rooms  in 
the  upper  stories,  but  her  heart  is  al- 
ways on  the  alert  for  the  cry  of  the 
babe,  whose  crib  is  beside  the  kitchen 
fire.  So  we  may  be  fully  occupied  in 
thought  and  act,  and  yet  our  heart  may 
be  abiding  in  holy  and  blessed  com- 
munion with  our  Lord,  as  "a  living 
bright  reality, 

"More  present  to  Faith's  vision  keen 
Than  any  earthly  object  seen  ; 
More  dear,   more  intimately  nigh 
Than  e'en  the  closest  earthly  tie." 

But  before  this  blessed  consciousness 
of  the  presence  of  Christ  can  be  ours, 
we  must  know  experimentally  the  mean- 


Cbrist  In  XDls*  45 

ing  of  the  Apostle's  words,  "Christ  liv- 
eth  in  me."  (Gal.  ii.  20.)  In  point  of 
fact,  there  is  a  lovely  reciprocity  in  this 
indwelling.  We  abide  in  Him,  because 
He  abides  in  us.  In  the  translucent 
depths  of  southern  seas,  the  voyager  is 
aware  of  the  infinite  variety  of  sponge- 
growth,  waving  to  and  fro  with  the  gentle 
movement  of  the  tide;  and  the  ocean  is 
in  the  sponge,  whilst  the  sponge  is  in 
the  ocean,  illustrating  the  reciprocal  in- 
dwelling of  the  believer  in  Christ,  and 
Christ  in  the  believer.  Take  the  com- 
mon iron  poker  from  your  fireside,  and 
place  it  amid  the  fiery  bed  of  burning 
coals,  and  soon  it  becomes  red-hot,  be- 
cause the  fire  is  in  it  whilst  it  is  in  the 
fire.  Shall  the  time  not  come  when  we 
shall  learn  the  secret  of  a  life  of  ardent 
devotion  and  glowing  zeal,  because  we 
have  mastered  the  lesson  of  the  recip- 
rocal indwelling  of  the  saint  and  the 
Saviour? 
This  was  the  secret  of  the  human  life 


46       IRectprocal  Jnbwellina* 

of  Christ.  He  dwelt  in  his  Father's 
love,  whilst  there  rang  through  His 
being  the  glad  consciousness  that  He 
did  always  those  things  which  gave 
pleasure  to  his  Father's  heart.  And  the 
Father  dwelt  in  Him,  manifesting  His 
Divine  presence  by  words  of  grace  and 
works  of  power.  Have  you  ever  truly 
realized  that  Jesus  Christ  is  literally 
within  you  —  the  Divine  tenant  and  oc- 
cupant of  the  inner  shrine?  Do  not  feel 
obliged  to  dilute  or  water  down  this 
wondrous  fact,  as  if  it  were  too  marvel- 
lous to  be  accepted  in  its  literal  force. 
We  cannot  understand  it;  we  cannot 
reason  it  out  with  our  poor  logic;  we 
cannot  account  for  it;  we  can  only  sit 
down  in  amazed  wonder  and  exclaim, 
**  Wherefore  is  this  come  to  me,  that  I 
should  be  a  temple  for  the  Lord  God  of 
Hosts?"  And  when  once  we  can  realize 
the  literal  force  of  "in  you,"  we  shall 
enter  upon  the  glorious  and  perpetual 
enjoyment  of  "ye  in  Me."     The  two  are 


Hs  to  If ellowsbtp*  47 

reciprocal:  and  the  measure  of  our  ap- 
preciation of  the  one  is  the  measure 
of  our  enjoyment  of  the  other. 

There  are  four  texts  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament in  which  the  truth  of  this  recip- 
rocity of  indwelling  is  taught,  each  time 
with  a  specific  purpose. 

I.  As  TO  Fellowship — "He  that  eat- 
eth  My  flesh,  and  drinketh  My  blood, 
dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  Him."  (John 
vi.  56.)  Whatever  else  is  meant  by  that 
mystic  feeding  on  Christ,  this  at  least  is 
included  —  that,  through  the  help  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  we  are  to  set  apart  daily 
periods  of  time  for  fellowship  with  the 
living  Saviour.  The  early  morning 
hour,  when  we  go  forth  to  gather  manna, 
while  the  day  is  young;  the  evening 
twilight  when  men  go  forth  to  meditate; 
the  hour  of  solemn  worship  and  gather- 
ing with  the  people  of  God:  all  these, 
and  many  other  golden  seasons,  are  op- 
portunities of  nourishing  the  inner  life, 
with  His  flesh,  which  is  meat  indeed. 


48       IReciprocal  5n^wellinG♦ 

and  His  blood,  which  is  drink  indeed. 

But  how  often,  at  such  times,  the 
spirit  seems  to  fail  and  faint!  It  cannot 
disengage  itself  from  the  birdlime  of 
worldliness  which  fastens  it  down. 
It  cannot  shake  off  the  buzzing  cloud  of 
teasing,  wandering  thoughts.  It  resem- 
bles, as  Jeremy  Taylor  says,  a  lark  try- 
ing in  vain  to  rise  against  a  strong  east 
wind. 

What  then  should  be  our  resource? 
We  may  turn  from  personal  supplication 
to  intercession  on  the  behalf  of  others; 
or  we  may  open  the  Word  of  God,  and 
begin  to  study  its  pages,  as  men  pour 
water  into  a  dry  pump  to  make  it  draw; 
or  we  may  appropriate  the  prayers  of 
the  saints  of  former  days.  But  there  is 
a  more  excellent  way.  Let  us  sit  quiet- 
ly down  to  meditate.  Let  us  remember 
that  the  living  Saviour,  who  ever  liveth 
to  pray,  is  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  literally 
within  us.  He  who,  in  the  days  of  His 
flesh,  climbed  the  mountains  for  fellow- 


Us  to  (S^beMence.  49 

ship  with  His  Father,  while  the  towns 
that  bordered  on  the  lake  were  still 
swathed  in  morning  mist,  is  now  dwel- 
ling in  the  heart.  Stand  aside,  then, 
cease  your  strivings  and  efforts;  and  let 
Him  pour  forth  in  and  through  you  the 
mighty  torrent  of  his  strong  cryings  and 
ceaseless  prayers. 

It  will  not  be  long  before  you  find 
your  prayers  mounting  up  with  freedom 
and  conscious  power  to  heaven;  and  in 
a  moment,  by  the  reciprocity  which  we 
are  now  considering,  you  shall  become 
aware  of  the  literal  presence  around 
you — as  a  Divine  environment — of  Him 
who  once  lit  up  the  lone  isle  of  Patmos 
by  the  irradiation  of  His  manifested 
glory. 

n.  As  TO  Obedience. —  "He  that 
keepeth  His  commandments,  dwelleth 
in  Him,  and  He  in  him."  ( i  John  iii.  24.) 
There  are  three  things  which  must  focus 
in  one  point  before  we  can  be  sure  of 


50       IRectprocal  Jn^vveUma* 

the  will  of  God:  The  prompting  of  the 
Spirit  within;  the  teaching  of  the  Word 
without;  and  the  concurrence  of  Pro- 
vidence around — in  the  events  of  daily 
life.  We  should  never  take  a  step  un- 
less these  three  concur.  If  they  do  not 
so  concur,  we  may  be  sure  that  God's 
hour  is  not  yet  come,  and  we  must  stand 
still  and  see  His  salvation. 

But  there  are  times  when  we  clearly 
know  the  Lord's  will,  but  seem  unable 
to  do  it.  Our  heart  and  flesh  fail.  We 
cower  before  strong  opposition.  The 
good  we  would,  we  do  not:  the  evil  we 
would  not,  we  do. 

How  shall  we  do  then?  Shall  we 
lash  ourselves  forward  by  reproaches 
and  remonstrances,  as  the  galley-slaves 
of  old  were  urged  to  more  frantic  ex- 
ertions by  the  strokes  of  the  knout? 
Not  so!  We  are  no  longer  under  the 
law,  but  under  grace.  God  does  not 
leave  us  thus  to  cope  with  ourselves. 
There  is  another  and  a    better    way. 


tTbe  Son  tbe  Servant.        5 1 

which  lies  within  the  text  already  cited, 
if  its  identical  propositions  are  reversed, 
"He  that  dwelleth  in  Him,  and  He  in 
him,  keepeth  His  commandments." 

Remember,  again,  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  is  in  you  as  the  very  power  of 
God.  During  His  earthly  life  He  bore 
the  significant  title  of  "Servant"  of  God, 
who,  when  the  Lord  God  opened  His 
ear,  was  not  rebellious  nor  turned  away 
back,  nor  swerved  a  hair's-breadth  from 
the  narrow  path  of  implicit  obedience. 
(Psa.  xvii.  1-6.)  Why  should  not  He 
work  in  you  and  through  you,  as  of  old 
He  wrought  through  His  mortal  body? 
Let  Him  have  the  opportunity!  Cease 
from  your  own  works,  as  the  Son  did 
from  His,  And  as  He  emptied  Himself, 
so  that  the  Father  which  dwelt  in  Him 
was  really  the  doer  of  His  works,  so 
empty  yourself  of  your  own  efforts  and 
strivings,  and  let  Him  work  in  you  to 
will  and  to  do  of  His  own  good  pleasure. 
You  will  soon  be  delivered  from  impo- 


52       IReclprocal  Jnbwelltng* 

tence,  and  indolence,  and  failure,  and 
you  will  find  yourself  energised  might- 
ily in  all  manner  of  strenuous  and  noble 
deeds. 

And  this  will  be  the  result  by  the  law 
of  reciprocity,  which  we  are  elaborating 
—  that  you  will  become  aware  of  the 
literal  presence  of  Him  who  appeared 
to  Joshua  as  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's 
host.  You  will  be  ready  to  kneel  before 
Him  in  lowly  homage,  and  to  await  His 
commands;  and  you  will  carry  with  you 
a  consciousness  of  the  fact  that  you  are 
ever  living  in  the  very  midst  of  the  en- 
compassing glory  of  the  King  of  saints. 
"In  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have 
our  being."     (Acts  xvii.  28.) 

HI.  As  TO  Confession.  —  *•  Whoso- 
ever shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son 
of  God,  God  dwelleth  in  him,  and  He  in 
God."  (i  John  iv.  15.)  The  days  are 
past  in  which  every  confessor  was  called 
to  be  a  martyr.     And  yet  confession  is 


Confess  1blm!  53 

hard  enough:  it  is  not  easy  to  stand  up 
for  Christ  in  the  commercial  room,  or 
in  the  workshop,  in  the  railway  carriage, 
or  amid  the  frivolities  of  a  drawing- 
room.  There  is  a  natural  proneness  in 
us  all  to  a  false  shame,  which  gags  our 
mouths,  and  chokes  our  utterance,  and 
keeps  us  silent,  when  we  know  we  ought 
to  speak. 

Ah,  how  bitterly  we  reproach  our- 
selves then  and  afterwards;  as  we  see 
the  opening  gradually  close,  and  feel 
that  the  chance  for  quiet  remonstrance, 
or  for  words  of  entreaty  and  expostula- 
tion, has  gone  never  to  return.  (Rev. 
ii.  13.) 

And  yet  we  have  failed  so  often,  we 
have  almost  lost  heart.  Can  it  ever 
be  different,  we  being  what  we  are? 
Can  we  ever  resemble  Antipas,  the  faith- 
ful confessor?  Can  we  ever  be  bold  as 
a  lion  for  Him  who  has  never  given  us 
just  cause  for  shame?  Indeed,  matters 
will  never  mend  until  we  abandon  our 


54       IReciprocal  Subwelltn^. 

own  feeble  attempts  and  draw  heavily 
on  the  glorious  fact  of  His  mighty  in- 
dwelling. We  can  do  nothing;  but  all 
things  are  possible  to  Him.  Let  us  only 
give  Him  the  chance.  Let  us  place  our- 
selves at  His  disposal  to  speak  in  us,  and 
through  us,  as  He  will.  Let  Him  have 
His  blessed  way  with  us.  Before  Pon- 
tius Pilate  He  witnessed  a  good  confes- 
sion: why  may  we  not  expect  Him  to 
repeat  it,  through  us,  the  meanest  of  the 
members  of  His  body;  who  long  to  be 
possessed  of  Him,  even  as  of  old  men 
were  the  mediums  through  which  lost 
spirits  spoke  and  wrought. 

And  none  can  thus  abandon  them- 
selves to  Him  without  becoming  aware, 
through  the  law  of  reciprocal  indwelling, 
that  Christ  in  the  heart  means  the  heart 
in  Christ;  and  that  dependence  on  the 
indwelling  Saviour  will  invariably  in- 
duce a  vivid  consciousness  of  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  human  spirit  in  the 
light   of   His   gracious   presence. 


%ovc  tbe  XHnlovel^ !         5  5 


IV.  As  TO  Love. —  '*He  that  dwelleth 
in  love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in 
Him."  (i  John  iv.  i6.)  We  must  love 
people  whom  we  cannot  like;  with  whom 
we  have  no  natural  sympathy;  and  who 
seem  made  to  irritate  us.  It  is  easy  to 
like  nice  people.  No  special  grace  is 
required  for  this.  Our  affections  natur- 
ally entwine  around  the  amiable  and 
gentle;  and,  if  these  alone  filled  our 
homes,  there  would  be  no  education  in 
the  Divine  art  of  loving.  We  only  learn 
what  the  love  of  God  is  when  we  have 
to  do  with  people  who  defy  our  own 
powers  of  affection.  The  fairest  powers 
of  nature  are  never  so  apparent  as  when 
they  are  called  in  to  drape  the  rents  in 
the  earth's  surface,  or  to  clothe  some  un- 
sightly rock,  rearing  its  form  amid  a 
paradise  of  beauty. 

Is  there  such  a  person  in  your  life, 
the  source  of  constant  chafe,  annoy- 
ance, fret?    You  feel  you  cannot  love, 


56       IReclprocal  5nt)welltng. 

you  cannot  speak  gently,  or  stroke  that 
fretful  face,  or  find  pleasure  in  that  un- 
congenial presence?  Anything  but  that. 
You  could  be  lovely  if  only  you  were 
thrown  with  a  congenial  temperament. 
Yet  how  much  you  would  miss  of  Divine 
education!  Do  this.  Fall  back  on  the 
memory  of  the  Divine  indwelling:  and 
since  the  strong  Son  of  God,  who  is  Im- 
mortal Love,  is  in  you,  let  Him  love 
that  loveless  one  through  you;  let  Him 
pour  a  torrent  of  love  through  you,  as 
the  channel  and  medium  of  blessing; 
let  His  love  speak  through  your  voice, 
and  look  through  your  eyes,  and  nerve 
your  fingers.  Love  with  His  love.  You 
can  do  all  things  through  Christ  that 
strengtheneth  you. 

And,  again,  let  us  repeat  it.  You  will 
find  that  you  cannot  act  thus  without 
bringing  into  operation  that  reciprocity 
of  indwelling  which  is  our  theme;  and 
you  will  know,  as  never  before,  what  it 
is  to  have  Christ  encompassing  you  be- 


Xox>e  tbe  xnnlo\>eIp !  5  7 

hind  and  before,  and  covering  you  with 
the  warm,  safe  protection  of  those 
feathers,  to  which  He  called  Jerusalem. 
(Matt,  xxiii.  37;  Luke  xiii.  34.) 

What  more  need  we  say?  The  Spirit 
can  alone  reveal  the  truth  we  try  to 
teach.  But  He  will  gladly  perform  this 
His  appointed  office.  And  thus  we 
shall  come, to  understand  what  it  is  ever 
"to  dwell  in  the  secret  place  of  the 
Most  High,  and  to  abide  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Almighty."  (Psalm 
xci.  7.) 


IV. 

"Sin"  an^"Stns/' 

'Reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but 
alive  unto  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 

— Rom.  vi.  II. 

-HE  nearer  we  live  to  God,  the  more 
sensitive  we  become  to  the  presence 
of  sin.  Increasing  light  means  increas- 
ing self-judgment;  and  things  which 
were  allowed  in  the  twilight  of  the 
dawn,  become  abhorrent  as  the  noontide 
light  reveals  their  true  character.  You 
may  guage  your  growth  in  grace,  and 
your  increasing  reception  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  by  the  tenderness  of  your  con- 
science with  respect  to  sins  which  you 
once  permitted  without  remorse,  and 
almost  without  remark.  In  proportion 
as  you  comprehend  the  full  beauty  of 


Growtb  In  Grace.  59 

Christ  your  Lord,  you  will  find  imper- 
fections  in  your  best  moments,  and  dis- 
cern blemishes  in  your  holiest  deeds. 
When  we  hear  of  God,  we  are  self-satis- 
fied; but  when  we  see  Him,  we  abhor 
ourselves,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes. 

In  view  of  these  facts  it  is  impossible 
for  any  true  child  of  God  to  be  contented 
with  himself.  He  cannot  speak  of 
himself  as  having  attained,  or  as  being 
already  perfect.  He  is  ever  following 
after  to  apprehend  or  attain;  and  as  he 
does  so,  he,  who  once  described  himself 
as  the  least  of  all  saints,  comes  to  call 
himself  the  chief  of  sinners.  He  is  con- 
scious of  forgiveness;  he  knows  that  he 
is  accepted  in  the  Beloved;  but,  in  pro- 
portion as  he  walks  in  the  growing  light, 
he  feels  his  growing  need  of  the  precious 
blood,  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 

It  is  true  that  many  claim  to  have  at- 
tained to  a  condition  of  sinless  perfect- 
ness;  but  they  surely  fail  to  discriminate 
between  things  which  differ  widely  as 


6o  ''Sin''  ant>  ''Sine" 

the  poles.  They  do  not  distinguish  be- 
tween the  believer's  standing  in  Christ 
Jesus,  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  the 
practical  realization  and  appropriation 
of  that  standing,  which  can  only  be  in 
proportion  to  his  faith.  According  to 
our  faith,  so  it  is  to  us;  and,  as  faith  is 
ever  growing  towards  perfect  vision,  is 
it  not  clear  that  there  must  also  be  a 
growth  towards  the  perfect  appreciation 
and  enjoyment  of  our  standing  in  Christ 
Jesus? 

And  is  there  not  this  also,  that  there 
is  a  whole  world  of  difference  between 
freedom  from  conscious  sin  and  the 
attainment  of  the  perfect  glory  of  the 
stature  of  Christ?  The  one  is  negative; 
the  other  is  positive.  The  one  is  ac- 
cording to  the  dim  light  of  human  con- 
sciousness; the  other  is  according  to  the 
Divine  standard  of  infinite  excellence. 
The  one  is  within  the  reach  of  the  young 
disciple,  and  ranks  among  the  elements 
of  Christ;  the  other  is  still  in  advance 


Orowtb  in  (Brace.  6i 

of  the  holiest  saint  among  the  ranks  of 
the  redeemed,  and  always  will  be. 
When  we  come  short,  we  sin. 
As  soon  as  we  put  ourselves  in  the 
true  relation  to  the  Spirit  of  God,  we 
may  expect  to  be  kept  from  conscious 
sin;  but  surely  this  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  the  perfection  of  the  New 
Testament,  which  is  the  maturity  of  the 
fully  developed  man.  Even  if  we  have 
passed  from  the  adolescence  to  the  man- 
hood of  Christian  development,  there 
is  still  an  infinite  chasm  between  our 
uttermost  attainment,  and  the  surpass- 
ing loveliness  of  the  One  Perfect  Man. 
Who  of  us  has  not  also  had  some  such 
experience  as  this  —  that  we  condemn 
thingswhichpassedmuster  years  ago?  Is 
not  this  the  law  of  growing  excellence  in 
all  art,  in  all  knowledge?  Does  not  the 
singer,  the  painter,  the  writer,  the  poet, 
detect  blemishes  and  flaws  where  once 
the  judgment  rested  with  entire  acqui- 
escence and  content?      And  must  not 


62  ''Sin''  anb  "Sins/* 

this  be  always  so,  as  long  as  there  is 
progress  in  any  direction  along  which 
the  energies  of  the  soul  may  work?  And 
if  this  be  so,  is  it  not  almost  certain  that 
we  permit  and  harbor  things  to-day 
which  we  shall  be  the  first  to  condemn 
when  years  have  passed;  just  as  we  con- 
demn things  to-day  which,  for  want  of 
fuller  light,  seemed  harmless  enough  in 
the  days  of  our  ignorance?  But,  under 
such  circumstances,  how  can  we  say 
that  we  are  perfect?  How  can  we  speak 
of  ourselves  as  sinless?  How  can  we  ever 
get  beyond  the  need  of  humbly  confess- 
ing that  we  are  sinners?  How  can  we 
do  without  the  constant  washing  in  the 
laver  of  priests? 

There  are  three  matters  which  must 
be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
believer's  inner  experience  of  evil: — 

I.     The  Tempter. 

"Your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a  roar- 
ing lion,  walketh  about,  seeking  whom 


Ube  XTempter,  63 

he  may  devour:  whom  resist."  ( i  Peter 
V.  8,  9.) 

It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that 
the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air  is  the 
author  of  temptation  to  every  believer, 
the  world  over;  for  that  would  go  near 
to  investing  him  with  the  attributes  of 
omniscience  and  omnipresence.  But  he 
is  surrounded  by  legions  of  inferior 
spirits,  the  wicked  spirits  in  heavenly 
places,  as  malignant  in  their  hate  as  he 
is;  and  who  are  ever  waiting  to  carry  out 
his  plans:  and  any  one  of  these  is  suffi- 
cient to  master  the  soul  that  has  not 
learnt  the  secret  of  victory  through  faith 
in  the  Stronger  than  the  strong  man 
armed. 

It  is  a  commonplace  in  Christian 
ethics — and  yet  it  may  not  be  realized  by 
every  reader  of  these  lines — that  temp- 
tation does  not  become  sin  to  us,  until 
the  will  assents  to  the  suggestion  of  the 
Tempter.  So  long  as  the  will  is  resolute, 
exclaiming  with  Joseph,  "  How  can  I  do 


64  'Sin"  anb  "Sins." 

this  great  wickedness,  and  sin  against 
God?"  there  is  no  sin.  Sin  is  the  act 
of  the  perverted  will.  That  temptation 
is  not  sin  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  tempted  in  all  points, 
though  without  sin.  Of  course,  there 
is  a  vast  difference  between  Him  and  us: 
because  there  was  nothing  in  Him,  as 
there  is  in  us,  responsive  to  the  tempter's 
suggestions.  It  is  difficult  for  us  to 
listen  to  the  suggestion  of  sin  without 
contracting  any  stain;  but  still  it  may 
be  accepted  as  broadly  true  that  the 
fact  of  our  being  tempted  does  not 
necessarily  involve  us  in  sin. 

There  is  only  one  way  by  which  the 
Tempter  can  be  met.  He  laughs  at  our 
good  resolutions  and  ridicules  the 
pledges  with  which  we  fortify  ourselves. 
He  has  been  dealing  with  these  for 
sixty  centuries,  and  well  knows  how  to 
find  their  weakest  point,  and  to  sweep 
them  away,  as  the  tide  does  the  child's 
barricade  of  sand.     There  is  only  One 


Ibow  to  Conquer,  65 

whom  he  fears;  One  who  in  the  hour  of 
greatest  weakness  conquered  him;  and 
who  has  been  raised  far  above  all  prin- 
cipality and  power,  that  He  may  succor 
and  deliver  all  frail  and  tempted  souls. 
He  conquered  the  prince  of  this  world 
in  the  days  of  His  flesh;  and  He  is  pre- 
pared to  do  as  much  again,  and  yet 
again,  in  each  one  of  us,  if  only  we  will 
truly  surrender  ourselves  to  His  gracious 
and  mighty  indwelling. 

In  the  days  of  knightly  chivalry  it 
was  supposed  to  be  enough  for  the  true 
soldier  of  the  cross  to  make  the  sacred 
sign  upon  his  person;  and  instantly  the 
foul  spirits  that  had  gathered  in  the  mur- 
ky gloom  to  do  him  harm,  fell  back,  and 
let  him  through.  It  was  not  all  legend 
and  myth.  But  there  is  a  truth  beneath 
the  mediaeval  setting.  And  that  truth  is 
ours  to-day  —  that  the  best  resource  for 
the  hardly-beset  soldier  of  Jesus  is  to 
appeal,  not  to  the  cross,  but  to  Him 
who  on  that  cross  bruised  the  serpent's 


66  "Sin"  an^  "Sins/* 

head,  not  for  Himself  only,  but  for  us. 

There  are  many  forms  in  which  that 
appeal  may  be  made.  Some  utter  the 
name  of  the  tempted  —  the  succoring  — 
High  Priest:  "Jesus!  Jesus!"  Some  cry 
in  the  triumphant  assurance  of  victory, 
"Jesus  saves  me."  Some  do  better  still, 
and  claim  that  grace  in  Him,  the  lack 
of  which  is  hurrying  them  into  sin;  so 
that  temptation  becomes  a  positive 
means  of  grace  to  them,  by  showing 
their  deficiency,  and  leading  them  to 
strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  but 
which  may  be  languishing  to  death. 

But  whichever  method  you  adopt, 
reader,  be  sure  you  do  it  in  one  way  or 
another.  Swift  as  the  chick  to  the  shel- 
ter of  the  mother's  wing,  so  do  you 
betake  yourself  to  the  ever-offered 
protection  of  Jesus  Christ  whenever  me- 
naced by  the  Tempter.  The  Lord  God 
is  not  only  a  sun  but  a  shield.  "The 
name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower:  the 
righteous  runneth  into  it  and  is  safe." 


Ube  Sptrtrs  Ibelp,  67 

He  will  "cover  thy  head  in  the  day  of 
battle."  (Ps.  Ixxxiv.  ii;  Prov.  xviii.  lo; 
Ps.  cxl.  7.) 

It  may  be  that  you  have  tried  to  do 
this,  and  have  failed.  You  have  entered 
upon  the  day's  life,  fully  intending  to 
make  Jesus  your  shield  of  faith,  and 
to  hide  in  Him  when  threatened  by  the 
Tempter.  Yet  you  have  found  to  your 
dismay,  that  you  have  been  overcome 
before  you  have  bethought  yourself  of 
your  refuge  and  deliverer.  But  there 
is  an  easy  remedy  for  this,  in  the  aid  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is  the  Divine  re- 
membrancer. It  is  his  office  to  main- 
tain the  spirit  in  a  state  of  holy  recol- 
lectedness;  and,  if  the  attack  be  as  a 
thunderclap.  He  will  be  as  the  premon- 
itory lightning  flash,  crying,  "  Beware  ! 
Beware!  'turn  you  to  your  stronghold, 
O  prisoner  of  hope.'  "  (Zech.  x.  12.) 

Be  sure  of  this,  that  Satan  cannot 
tempt  you  beyond  what  you  have  power 
to  sustain  or  resist.     Powerless  in  your- 


68  "Sin"  an^  "Sins." 

self,  you  can  do  all  things  in  Christ  that 
strengtheneth  you.  The  Lord  Jesus 
hath  bought  you;  and  you  must  trust 
Him  to  keep  you.  "The  Lord  is  thy 
keeper."  "He  will  not  suffer  thy  foot 
to  be  moved."  "Surely  He  shall  deliver 
thee  from  the  snare  of  the  fowler."  (Ps. 
cxxi.  5,  3;  xci.  3.) 

n.     The  Sinful  Tendency  Within. 

Regeneration  is  not  the  eradication  of 
the  principle  of  the  old  life,  but  the  in- 
sertion beside  it  of  the  principle  of  a  new 
life  —  the  Christ  life.  And  these  two 
exist  side  by  side;  as  the  house  of 
Saul  and  the  house  of  David  in  the 
rent  and  distracted  kingdom  of  Israel: 
but  the  one  is  destined  to  get  weaker 
and  weaker,  wjiilst  the  other  waxes 
stronger  and  stronger. 

"That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is 
flesh,"  and  can  never  be  anything  else 
than  flesh.  It  can  never  be  improved 
into  spirit.      It  can  never  be  anything 


Ube  SclU%iU.  69 

but  abhorrent  in  the  eye  of  the  Holy 
God.  So  that  "they  that  are  in  the  flesh 
cannot  please  God";  and  the  flesh 
which  is  in  us  can  never  please  God.  The 
only  thing  to  be  done  is  to  deny  it;  and 
to  reckon  it  as  a  dead  thing,  which  has 
no  place  in  the  Home  of  Life.  "Bury 
thy  dead  out  of  thy  sight." 

Self  is  the  anagram  of  flesh.  The 
flesh- principle  is  the  self- principle, 
which  so  insidiously  creeps  into  every- 
thing from  which  it  is  not  rigorously 
excluded  by  the  grace  of  God.  Before 
we  are  converted  self  is  the  sole  motive- 
power  of  our  lives:  our  kindest  and  best 
actions  originate  in  this  root.  And  after 
we  are  converted,  it  strives  to  insinuate 
itself  into  our  religious  life.  Satan  will 
not  prohibit  us  from  being  religious  —  if 
only  "self"  is  the  mainspring  of  our  de- 
votion. Hence  it  is  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
so  unrelenting  in  His  demand  for  self- 
denial.  And  it  has  been  the  axiom  of 
saintship   in    all    ages — "Wheresoever 


70  "Sin"  anb  "Sins." 

thou  findest  thyself,  deny  thyself." 
Sword  in  hand,  we  must  pursue  this 
evil  thing — this  self-hood  —  through  all 
the  disguises  beneath  which  it  hides 
itself.  We  must  allow  it  no  quarter. 
We  must  believe  that  it  is  never  more 
near  or  more  dangerous  than  when  it 
causes  a  rumor  to  be  set  on  foot  that  it 
is  no  more.  In  the  self-congratulation 
which  arises  on  the  receipt  of  this  happy 
intelligence,  there  is  a  new  and  striking 
evidence  of  its  continued  and  vigorous 
existence. 

It  is  to  this  evil  principle,  which  is 
very  susceptible  to  the  least  suggestion 
from  without,  that  the  Tempter  appeals. 
His  attacks  would  be  less  formidable  if 
it  were  not  for  this  traitor  within  the 
citadel  of  the  soul.  But,  we  may  well 
fear  the  bombshells  thrown  in  from 
without,  when  we  remember  the  maga- 
zines of  gunpowder  within,  awaiting  the 
spark  that  shall  hurry  them  into  explo- 
sion, and  shatter  the  rest  of  the  soul. 


"Be  filleb  witb  tbe  Spirit"    71 

There  is  no  evidence,  then,  that  the 
flesh  shall  ever  be  eradicated,  because 
it  is  ourselves;  and  the  Apostle  clearly 
tells  us  that  "the  flesh  lusteth  against 
the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the 
flesh."  And  in  those  who  most  earn- 
estly asseverate  its  eradication  in  their 
own  experience,  there  are  frequent  indi- 
cations of  its  presence  still.    ( Gal.  v.  1 7. ) 

But  THIS  is  possible.  The  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  deadly  antagonist  of,  and  all- 
sufficient  antidote  to,  the  self-life.  When 
He  dwells  in  blessed  fulness  within  the 
surrendered  heart.  He  sets  it  free  from 
the  law  of  sin  and  death:  He  annihilates 
the  power  of  the  self-life;  as  an  anti- 
septic cancels  the  death-dealing  germs 
which  proceed  from  the  body  of  a 
patient  who  is  stricken  by  an  infectious 
disease. 

When  the  >Ioly  Spirit  resides  in  power 
in  the  heart.  He  keeps  the  self-life  so 
utterly  in  the  place  of  death  that  temp- 
tation has  no  fascination,  no  power.  The 


72  "Sin'*  anb  "Sins;' 

appeals  of  hell  are  flung  against  the  ear 
of  death:  there  is  no  response,  no  mo- 
tion of  obedience.  Try  it,  reader:  be 
not  content  to  have  the  Holy  Spirit 
within  thee;  see  that  He  fills  thee;  and 
thou  wilt  experience  that  blessed  con- 
dition in  which  the  sparks  of  tempta- 
tion shall  seem  to  be  quenched  in  an 
ocean  of  water,  as  they  touch  thy  heart. 
But  remember  the  evil  thing  is  there 
still;  not  eradicated,  not  destroyed,  only 
kept  in  the  place  of  death  by  the  Spirit 
of  life.  And  if  ever  thou  shalt  quench 
or  limit  His  gracious  operation,  so  that 
He  relaxes  His  restraining  power,  that 
accursed  principle  will  arise  with  all  its 
pristine  force,  join  hands  with  the 
tempter,  and  hurry  thee  into  sin.  Watch 
and  pray,  therefore;  keep  in  with  the 
Holy  Ghost;  walk  warily;  that  thou 
mayest  never  have  to  retrace  thy  steps, 
shedding  tears  of  blood. 


Iftestoration,  ;3 

III.     Sins. 

Through  neglect  of  watching  and 
prayer  —  or  by  reason  of  carelessness  in 
the  walk  and  conversation  —  it  is  quite 
possible  to  break  that  holy  connection 
between  ourselves  and  heaven  which  is 
the  secret  of  deliverance,  and  the  talis- 
man of  victory.  There  is  always  a 
Delilah  ready  to  shear  off  the  locks  of 
our  strength,  if  we  allow  ourselves  to 
sleep  in  her  lap.  And  our  strength  may 
be  gone  ere  we  know  it.  "He  wist  not 
that  the  Lord  had  departed  from  him." 
(Jud.  xvi.  20.) 

And  when  wc  put  ourselves  outside 
those  sacred  influences  which  are  in- 
tended to  deliver  us  from  the  power  of 
evil,  there  is  no  alternative  but  that  we 
should  break  out  again  into  acts  of  sin. 
But  there  is  a  difference.  They  are  not 
now  the  normal  state  of  the  soul.  They 
are  committed  in  opposition  to  the 
judgment  and  the  conscience.  They 
are  the  sins  of  a  child  for  which  it  will 


74  'Sin"  anb  ''mnsr 

be  chastened,  until  it  gets  back  into  the 
old  blessedness  again.  An  old  divine 
says:  "A  sheep  and  a  sow  may  each 
fall  into  the  same  quagmire;  but  the 
sow  will  w^allow  in  it,  whilst  the  sheep 
will  bleat  piteously,  until  she  is  extri- 
cated and  cleansed."  Such  is  the  dif- 
ference between  the  ungodly  and  the 
children  of  God.  "Whosoever  abideth 
in  Him  sinneth  not";  that  is,  sin  can 
never  become  his  normal  and  habitual 
state.     ( I  John  iii.  6. ) 

If  ever  this  should  be  your  unhappy 
lot,  do  not  despair.  The  true  test  of 
Christian  character  does  not  consist  in 
the  inability  to  fall,  but  in  the  quick 
agony  of  repentance,  and  in  the  im- 
mediate restoration  to  the  ways  which 
had  been  left.  Directly  you  are  con- 
scious of  sin,  turn  at  once  to  your  com- 
passionate Lord.  Do  not  wait  for  the 
fever  of  passion  to  subside,  or  for  the 
agony  of  your  shame  to  die  down;  but, 
there   and   then,  in   the   crowd  or  the 


TObe  Great  pbi^slclan*       75 

street,  lift  up  your  heart,  and  ask  Him  to 
touch  you  with  that  finger  before  which 
uncleanness  cannot  abide:  ask  Him 
to  wash  you  as  he  did  the  feet  of  His 
disciples,  soiled  by  jealousy  and  strife 
for  mastery:  ask  Himtorestoreyoursoul 
to  the  place  it  occupied  before  you  fell. 
You  may  not  be  able  to  forgive  your- 
self: but  He  will  forgive  you  instantly; 
the  stain  will  be  at  once  extracted  from 
the  spirit's  robes;  the  foulness  will 
immediately  flee  from  the  blemished 
dress;  and  the  forgiven  one  shall  occupy 
again  the  place  which  for  a  moment 
had  been  vacated,  the  place  in  the 
heavenlies,  side  by  side  with  its  Re- 
deemer. Oh,  do  not  doubt  the  Saviour's 
willingness,  or  the  Saviour's  power,  to 
forgive;  or  the  efficacy  of  His  blood 
to  wash  out  each  stain,  as  it  may  be- 
come manifest  to  the  quickened  con- 
science. Remember  that  His  blood 
ever  cleanscth  from  all  sin,  as  the  stream 
is  ever  flowing  over  the  pebble,  and  as 


76  "Sin"  ant)  "Sins," 

the  tear-water  is  ever  removing  from  the 
eye  the  motes  that  alight  for  a  moment 
upon  its  surface. 

It  is  not  an  easy  world  for  any  of  us 
to  traverse;  it  is  no  friend  to  grace:  but 
it  is  possible  to  walk  through  it  with 
clean  and  stainless  robes.  Sin  may 
assail;  but  it  will  be  as  the  waves  that 
beat  outside  the  goodly  ship  without 
finding  admittance  within  its  walls. 
And  out  of  the  pure  and  guileless  heart 
shall  spring  all  the  loveliness  of  unself- 
ish and  helpful  deeds,  such  as  shall 
make  this  sad  world  happier,  and  dark 
hearts  bright  with  the  light  of  heaven. 

O  souls,  weary  and  sin-sick,  hand 
yourselves  over  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  the  Good  Physician,  sure  that  He 
will  undertake  the  most  desperate  case; 
and  "give  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of 
joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise 
for  the  spirit  of  heaviness."  (Isaiah 
Ixi.  3.) 


Ube  Mill 


''If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat  the  good  of  the 

land."  — Isaiah  i.  iq. 

"Thy  people  shall   be   willing   in   the   day  of  Thy  power." 

— Psalm  ex.  3. 

^^HE  one  question  which  the  Lord 
^^  Jesus  puts  to  every  one  of  us,  is  that 
which  He  put,  beside  Bethesda's  pool, 
to  the  sufferer  who  wistfully  scanned 
His  face  for  help:  ''Wilt  thou  be  made 
whole?"  The  whole  question  turns  on 
the  attitude  of  the  will.  And  it  is  for 
lack  of  realizing  this,  that  many  grope 
for  years  in  darkness,  who  might  other- 
wise walk  in  the  light  of  life. 

There  are  some  who  lay  the  chief 
stress  on  Right  Thi?iki?ig.  They  demand 
that  the  mind  should  have  a  clear  ap- 


78  XTbe  mm. 


prehension  of  the  entire  system  of 
Christian  truth.  Every  i  must  have  its 
dot;  every  /  must  be  strictly  crossed. 
Each  doctrine  must  receive  its  just  place 
in  the  homage  of  the  soul;  and  there 
must  be  no  uncertainty  in  the  pronun- 
ciation of  the  test-words  of  the  Church. 
Then,  they  argue,  that  the  character  and 
experience  will  necessarily  be  right  and 
blessed. 

But,  in  practice,  it  is  not  so.  It  is  im- 
possible to  exaggerate  the  importance 
of  clear  and  accurate  conceptions  of 
truth.  For  what  a  man  believes,  that 
he  is.  At  the  same  time,  experience 
and  observation  prove  beyond  a  doubt, 
that  to  think  right  is  not  enough  to  pro- 
duce the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  or  the 
blessedness  of  the  Beatitudes.  Many 
babes  and  sucklings  in  knowledge,  whose 
notions  of  truth,  through  no  fault  of 
their  own,  are  hazy  and  partial,  have 
entered  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  the 
doors  of  which  are  closed  against  the 


IRigbt  Tlbinftlng,  79 

wise  and  prudent  who  have  no  other 
claim  for  entrance  than  that  they  could 
pass  muster  in  the  strictest  theological 
examination. 

Others  lay  the  chief  stress  on  Right 
Feeling.  Their  test  of  rightness  is  joy- 
ousness.  When  they  feel  bright  and 
happy,  and  their  heart  sings  —  and  the 
azure  blue,  unflecked  by  cloud,  canopies 
their  path  —  they  can  sit  in  the  heaven- 
lies,  and  take  their  place  among  their 
peers.  But  when  their  glad  emotions 
expend  themselves  as  summer  brooks; 
and  the  birds  cease  their  strains;  and 
the  sky  is  overcast;  they  begin  to  ques- 
tion even  their  acceptance. 

Surely  feeling  is  too  unsatisfactory 
for  any  of  us  to  build  upon  it  for  peace 
or  power.  Choose  rather  the  shifting 
quicksands  as  a  foundation  for  your 
house  1  We  need  something  more  re- 
liable than  an  experience — which  may 
be  disturbed  by  an  east  wind,  a  cloudy 
day,  or  a  fit  of  indigestion. 


8o  Ube  MilU 


The  true  basis  of  religion  is  in  Right- 
williiig.  And  the  reason  for  this  is  clear. 
We  are  not  what  we  know.  We  are  not 
what,  in  some  special  moment,  we  feel. 
We  are  what  we  will.  We  must  bore 
down  beneath  the  alluvial  deposits  of 
emotion,  and  the  formation  of  the  intel- 
lect, to  the  granite  of  the  will !  There, 
and  there  only,  can  we  find  a  stable 
basis  on  which  to  build  the  structure  of 
a  blessed  or  useful  life;  because  the  will 
is  the  true  expression  of  ourselves. 

We  admit  this  in  daily  life.  We  judge 
men,  not  by  their  intellectual  capacity, 
not  by  the  sensibilities  that  quiver  be- 
neath the  passing  breath,  as  the  chords 
of  an  ^olian  lyre;  not  by  exceptional 
and  special  deeds:  but  by  their  will  — 
which  may  be  called  the  resolve  and 
intention  of  the  soul,  expressing  itself 
in  the  decisions  and  actions  of  the  life. 

We  do  not  blame  the  maniac  who 
seeks  to  fire  a  cathedral:  we  simply  con- 
fine him;  his  will  was  impaired.    But  we 


IRigbt^Mtlltng.  8i 

condemn  the  man  who  clearly  meant  to 
take  his  brother's  life,  though  the  deed 
itself  was  frustrated;  his  will  was  mur- 
der. And  what  we  are  with  respect  to 
one  another,  that  we  are  also  with  re- 
spect to  the  Almighty  God.  His  one 
complaint  against  us  is  not  that  we  are 
dull  and  stupid;  or  that  w^e  do  not  feel 
more  deeply;  or  that  we  are  not  swifter 
and  stronger  in  our  obedience  —  but 
that  we  are  Jiot  willi?ig.  "Ye  will  not 
come  unto  Me,  that  ye  might  have  life." 
"If  any  man  will  come  after  Me."  "I 
would . .  .  .but  ye  would  noty  "  If  ye  be 
willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat  the 
good  of  the  land." 

We  need  not  now  touch  that  mys- 
terious province,  hidden  from  mortal 
ken,  where  the  human  will  is  influenced 
by  the  Divine  will.  Doubtless,  there 
are  avenues  by  which  the  will  of  God 
reaches  us,  and  touches  us,  of  which  we 
know  nothing.  And  there  are  number- 
less methods  by  which  God's  will  can 


82  Ube  MilL 


impress  itself  on  ours  without  violating 
the  individuality  of  our  willinghood.  It 
is  enough  to  know  that  He  does  work 
in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  own  good 
pleasure.  And  it  is  certain  that  we  can- 
not will  aright  except  He  prompt  us. 
More  than  this  we  do  not  know,  and 
cannot  say.  We  cannot  but  think,  how- 
ever, that  no  soul  of  man  is  born  outside 
the  range  of  the  working  of  that  loving 
will,  which  is  peace  on  earth  and  good 
will  to  men.  Alas,  that  it  is  so  often 
resisted,  even  unto  death! 

Now  let  us  turn  to  the  practical  bear- 
ing of  this  great  truth — that  our  primary 
concern  must  ever  be  with  our  will. 
And  we  may  sum  up  all  we  have  to  say 
in  this  one  sentence:  Put  your  will  on 
God's  side  in  everything,  and  leave  to 
Him  the  responsibility  of  fulfilling  in 
you,  and  through  you,  "all  the  good 
pleasure  of  His  goodness,  and  the  work 
of  faith  with  power;  that  the  name  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be  glorified 


Malting  tor  Ibealing*        83 

in  you,  and  ye  in  Him,  according  to  the 
grace  of  our  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."     (2  Thess.  i.  ii,  12.) 

On  the  Threshold  of  Salvation. 

How  many  there  are  around  us  like 
the  impotent  man  of  Bethesda!  They 
are  waiting  for  healing  with  eager  desire. 
To  get  it  they  linger  for  years  in  the 
porches  of  Mercy's  House.  They  wist- 
fully see  the  gladness  with  which  many 
go  healed  away.  They  hope  that  their 
turn  will  come  at  last. 

But  they  are  waiting  for  the  wrong 
thing -^  for  some  mysterious  troubling 
of  the  waters,  rather  than  for  the  Healer. 
For  a  ceremony,  and  not  for  Christ.  For 
an  angel,  and  not  for  the  Saviour.  For 
the  help  of  men  to  put  them  into  salva- 
tion, or  to  their  own  lame  efforts  to 
shuffle  into  the  pool  of  healing.  They 
are  always  trying  to  get  more  correct 
conceptions  of  Christianity,  or  to  work 
themselves  up  into  a  condition  of  earn- 


84  Ube  MilL 


est  feeling.  Oh,  if  they  could  only  feel 
more  earnestness;  or  more  adequate 
sorrow  for  sin;  or  more  assurance  of 
faith !  They  wait  year  after  year  for 
some  angel  to  trouble  the  inner  waters 
of  their  souls,  and  send  a  ripple  of  sav- 
ing feeling  across  them.  But  the  angel 
comes  not.  And  they  wait  on  till  hope 
almost  dies. 

To  such  the  Saviour  comes.  "  Wilt 
thou  be  made  whole?"  He  does  not 
send  the  soul  to  college  to  study  a  creed, 
however  Apostolic.  Me  does  not  wait 
till  it  is  fired  with  ardor  or  steeped  in 
tears.  He  cuts  right  through  all  sorrow- 
ful confessions  of  deficient  faith,  utter 
worthlessness,  inability  to  shed  pure 
tears  or  think  right  thoughts.  All  this  is 
with  Him  secondary.  It  must  be  con- 
sidered: but  presently,  not  first.  His  one 
prime  concern  is  the  will.  What  zvillesc 
thou?  f^^"// thou  be  saved ?  The  ques- 
tion of  salvation  is  a  moral  one;  it 
hinges  on  the  will. 


XTbe  initial  Step*  85 

And  if  the  trembling  soul  can  only 
look  up  to  Him  and  say;  "I  would,  but 
I  cannot,  feel;  I  would,  but  I  cannot, 
believe;  I  would,  but  I  cannot,  repent"; 
then  with  great  joy  the  Shepherd  takes 
the  lost  sheep  upon  His  shoulders.  He 
says:  "It  is  enough.  I  will  work  in 
thee  all  thou  lackest.  I  will  enter 
through  the  unlatched  door  of  thine 
heart,  laden  with  gifts.  I  will  cleanse 
thee  from  all  that  grieves  Me;  and 
I  will  produce  in  thee  all  those  holy 
things  which  thou  seekest.  They  are 
the  gifts  of  God  to  the  recipient  spirit 
through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

The  initial  step  of  salvation  is  our  will- 
ingness to  be  saved.  If  that  is  assured, 
tell  Christ  so.  Look  to  Him  to  begin 
in  thee  His  gracious  work.  And  there 
is  already  commenced  in  thee  a  trans- 
formation, which  starts  with  forgiveness, 
and  ends  in  perfect  conformity  tc  the 
Son  of  God,  in  heaven's  dateless 
glory. 


86  Ubc  MtlL 


In  our  Daily  Religious  Experience. 

We  give  ourselves  to  God.  Beneath 
the  spell  of  some  stirring  appeal,  or  un- 
der the  impression  of  written  words, 
burning  as  the  carbon-points  of  the 
electric  light,  we  resolve  that  we  will 
live  a  more  earnest,  devoted,  and  whole- 
hearted existence.  For  some  few  days 
the  momentum  carries  us  on,  and  we 
feel  happy  and  satisfied. 

But  after  awhile  the  blessing  we  have 
received  seems  to  expend  itself.  We  are 
troubled  by  violent  temptation.  We 
lose  all  pleasure  in  private  prayer.  We 
can  get  nothing  from  our  Bibles.  For 
some  deep  and  subtle  reason,  all  our 
feelings  are  suddenly  overcast.  The 
heart,  which  was  like  a  garden  in  sum- 
mer, is  as  a  barren  moor,  on  which  clouds 
brood.  At  such  a  time,  if  we  are  simply 
dependent  on  our  feelings,  we  shall  be 
ready  to  despair.  If,  like  Peter,  we  re- 
gard the  winds  and  waves,  we,  like  him, 
must  begin  to  sink;  and  we  shall  doubt 


Hll  for  Cbrist.  87 

the  reality  of  the  experience  of  God's 
truth  and  grace,  which  had  given  us  a 
real  lift  heavenwards. 

But  if,  my  reader,  you  have  ever 
learnt  the  side  of  truth  on  which  we  are 
laying  stress,  you  will  have  an  unbroken 
confidence,  and  w^ll  feel  a  handrail 
ready  to  your  touch,  though  you  cannot 
see  your  way  through  the  murky  night. 
At  such  a  time  look  up  to  Christ  and 
say:  "I  do  not  feel  as  I  did;  the  joy  of 
song  and  rapture,  all  is  gone:  but  I  am 
still  Thine;  I  will  to  be  only,  ahvays,  all 
for  Thee;  I  desire,  in  the  very  centre 
and  heart  of  my  being,  to  abide  in  Thee; 
I  long  for  nothing  so  much  as  that  Thou 
shouldest  hasten  Thy  work  of  conquest 
within  my  soul,  till  every  thought  and 
feeling  are  brought  captive  to  Thine 
obedience." 

Even  if  you  are  conscious  of  having 
swerved  for  a  moment  from  the  path  of 
perfect  willinghood,  by  His  grace  put 
your  WILL   back  again  on   the   side  of 


88  XTbe  Mill 


Christ,  with  tears  and  confessions,  and 
ask  Him  to  hold  it,  as  a  father  holds  the 
hand  of  his  child  on  a  slippery  day. 
Forget  your  feelings.  Entrench  your- 
self in  your  will.  Ask  Jesus  to  purify 
and  sanctify  it  by  His  Spirit,  so  that  it 
may  be  true  to  Himself.  And  believe 
that  He  is  as  eager  as  you  are  to  still 
all  the  rebellion  of  the  soul,  and  to  make 
you  what  you  wish  and  will  to  be,  in 
your  best  and  holiest  hours.  Your  atti- 
tude towards  Christ  is  determined,  not 
by  your  feelings,  but  by  your  steadfast 
desire  and  "will." 


In  Sorrow  and  Trial. 

As  sons  we  must  endure  the  rod  of 
chastening,  which  is  "not  joyous  but 
grievous."  The  way  to  the  Kingdom 
lies  through  Gethsemane,  with  its  deep 
shadows  and  its  tears,  and  sweat  of 
blood.  All  that  can  abide  the  fire  must 
be  made  to  pass  through  the  fire. 


**Ub^  wan  be  ^oncV       89 

And  when  our  hour  comes  we  cannot 
but  suffer.  We  suffer  as  the  little  one 
is  torn  from  our  embrace,  not  realizing 
henceforth  there  will  be  always  a  child 
in  our  home.  We  suffer,  as  we  have  to 
leave  cherished  surroundings,  and  ven- 
ture, as  the  eagle's  nestlings,  on  the  un- 
tried air.  We  suffer,  as  we  have  to  be 
the  means  of  inflicting  pain  upon  those 
who  love  us;  at  the  call  of  God  taking 
the  knife  to  slay  their  hopes.  We  suffer 
as  we  see  some  creeping  paralysis  slowly 
cut  us  off  from  the  avenues  of  sense  and 
life;  shutting  us  up  in  a  living  cell.  And 
let  us  not  begrudge  it  all,  since  we  learn 
obedience  by  the  things  we  suffer;  and 
discover  the  art  of  comforting  others  as 
we  have  been  comforted. 

Yet  sometimes  how  hard  it  is  to  be 
submissive!  And  here  it  is  that  so  many 
mistake.  They  try  to  feel  submissive  and 
resigned.  But  they  try  in  vain.  They 
cannot  bring  themselves  to  feel,  as  they 
know  they  ought:  and  so  they  write  hard 


90  Ubc  Mill 


things  against  themselves;  and  go  out 
into  the  night  in  a  self-imposed  exile. 

But  it  would  be  comparatively  easy  if 
they  would  only  begin  with  the  will. 
Will  God's  will.  Tell  Him  that  you  are 
willing  to  be  made  willing  to  have  His 
will.  Bring  your  will  to  Him,  as  a  piece 
of  cold  iron;  and  ask  Him  to  renew  it, 
and  soften  it,  and  mould  it  into  perfect 
oneness  with  His  own.  Say  to  Him  as 
Jesus  did,  "Father,  Thy  will,  not  mine, 
be  done!"  And  when  thoughts  of  re- 
bellion or  mistrust  surge  upwards  in 
your  soul,  do  not  lose  heart;  trust  God 
to  deal  with  them.  You  cannot  master 
them;  but  God  can.  Only  be  sure  that 
your  will  is  true  to  Him  as  the  needle 
is  to  the  pole. 

Oh,  is  not  this  a  sight  on  which  angels 
love  to  dwell?  —  when  a  human  soul, 
amid  its  keenest  agony,  still  is  able  to 
will  the  will  of  God;  not  swerving  from 
it  to  the  right  or  to  the  left;  sure  it  must 
be  good  and  wise,  though  all  appear- 


Ubc  Dolce  of  tbe  Uempter.     91 

ances  are  contrary;  and  daring  to  cry 
out  from  the  midst  of  its  agony,  whilst 
all  the  nature  beside  is  in  revolt,  "My 
God,  I  trust  Thee;  I  choose  Thy  will." 

If  thus  we  yield  our  will  to  God,  in  our 
blindness,  not  because  we  feel  it  pleas- 
ant, but  because  we  dare  to  believe  in 
Him,  we  shall  find  that  a  wonderful 
change  will  steal  over  us,  winning  over 
our  emotions  and  feelings  to  the  self- 
same side;  so  that  we  shall  come  to  ac- 
cept the  will  of  God  with  our  feelings, 
as  well  as  to  will  it  with  our  will. 

In  Regard  to  Sin. 

When  temptation  besets  us,  it  will 
sometimes  so  insinuate  itself  into  our 
hearts,  that  we  may  be  at  a  loss  to  dis- 
tinguish the  voice  of  the  tempter  from 
that  of  our  own  consciousness. 

Bunyan  tells  us,  that  when  the  pilgrim 
was  come  over  against  the  mouth  of  the 
pit,  one  of  the  wicked  ones  g^t  behind 
him  and  whisperingly  suggested  many 


92  Ube  Mill 


grievous  blasphemies  to  him,  which  he 
verily  "hought  had  proceeded  from  his 
own  lind.  This  put  poor  Christian 
more  lo  it  than  anything  that  he  had 
met  \i  ith  before. 

We  all  of  us  know  something  of  this. 
Such  norrid  thoughts!  Such  vain  imag- 
inations! Such  vile  suggestions!  Noi- 
some pestilence,  indeed!  But  it  is  not 
ours  so  long  as  the  will  remains  stead- 
fast in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Nor  can  we  be  held  chargeable  of  sin 
so  long  as  the  spirit  cleaves  its  way 
through  all,  tossing  the  suggestions 
aside  as  a  ship  the  foam-crested  waves. 

Will  to  be  free !  Will  to  walk  with 
God  in  stainless  robes!  ^^'// to  refuse 
the  tempting  bait!  Will  to  deny  flesh 
and  to  crucify  self !  Will  because  God 
is  working  in  you  to  will.  And  you  will 
find  t'lat  if  the  will  is  present  with  you, 
the  p  wer  to  perform  will  also  be  forth- 
comii  g  to  your  faith;  and  Jesus  will 
mak(    haste  to  achieve  your  complete 


*^TKallttboubema^eTKIlbole?"  93 

deliverance.  Lift  up  your  heads  and 
rejoice:  your  redemption  draweth  near. 
Yes,  and  this  will  come  to  you — that 
your  will  shall  become  more  and  more 
one  with  the  will  of  God:  so  much  so, 
that  God  will  give  you  the  keys  of  His 
kingdom,  saying,  *'Ask  what  ye  ivilL, 
and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you."  And  in 
proportion  as  the  will  of  man  is  brought 
into  unison  and  harmony  with  the  will 
of  God,  there  will  be  growing  peace 
and  growing  power.  When  the  will  of 
God  is  done  in  the  heart,  even  as  it  is 
done  in  heaven,  then  the  joy  of  heaven 
enters  it  to  abide.  ''Eye  hath  not  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  nor  hath  the  heart  of  man 
conceived,  what  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him."  But  these  things 
are  unfolded  to  the  man  who  has  given 
up  his  will  to  God;  and  who  has  re- 
ceived it  back  again,  magnetized  by  His 
will;  and  who  now  lives  in  the  citidel  of 
a  sanctified  and  devoted  will.  For  this 
is  the  law  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  of 


94  XTbe  mtlL 


God:    "If  any  man  wills  to  do  His  will, 
he  shall  know." 

Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ?  Christ  asks 
that  question  of  thee,  my  reader.  Is  not 
the  Holy  Spirit  producing  in  thee  a  holy 
willingness?  If  so,  tell  thy  Saviour  so. 
He  wills;  wilt  thou?  If  thou  dost,  then 
He  undertakes  to  do  all  the  rest;  pro- 
ducing in  thee  health  and  life,  wholeness 
and  everlasting  joy. 


VI. 


(ButC)ance» 

"I  will  guide  tiiee  with  Mine  Eye." — Psalm  xxxii.  8. 

^^^  ANY  children  of  God  are  so  deeply 
llj  ^  exercised  on  the  matter  of  guid- 
ance that  it  maybe  helpful  to  give  a  few 
suggestions  as  to  knowing  the  way  in 
which  our  Father  would  have  us  walk, 
and  the  work  He  would  have  us  do. 
The  importance  of  the  subject  cannot 
be  exaggerated;  so  much  of  our  power 
and  peace  consist  in  knowing  where  God 
would  have  us  be,  and  in  being  just  there. 
The  manna  only  falls  where  the  cloudy 
pillar  broods;  but  it  is  certain  to  be 
found  on  the  sands,  which  a  few  hours 
ago  were  glistening  in  the  flashing  light 
of  the  heavenly  fire,  and  are  now  shad- 
owed by  the  fleecy  canopy  of  cloud.    If 


96  Guidance. 


we  are  precisely  where  our  heavenly 
Father  would  have  us  to  be,  we  are  per- 
fectly sure  that  He  will  provide  food  and 
raiment,  and  everything  beside.  When 
He  sends  His  servants  to  Cherith,  He 
will  make  even  the  ravens  to  bring 
them  food. 

How  much  of  our  Christian  work  has 
been  abortive,  because  we  have  persisted 
in  initiating  it  for  ourselves  instead  of 
ascertaining  what  God  was  doing,  and 
where  He  required  our  presence.  We 
dream  bright  dreams  of  success.  We 
try  and  command  it.  We  call  to  our  aid 
all  kinds  of  expedients,  questionable  or 
otherwise.  And  at  last  we  turn  back,  dis- 
heartened and  ashamed,  like  children 
who  are  torn  and  scratched  by  the  bram- 
bles, and  soiled  by  the  quagmire.  None 
of  this  had  come  about,  if  only  we  had 
been,  from  the  first,  under  God's  uner- 
ring guidance.  He  might  test  us,  but 
He  could  not  allow  us  to  mistake. 

Naturally,  the  child  of  God,  longing 


(^ontl^ence  in  (Bob.  ^7 


to  know  his  Father's  will,  turns  to  the 
sacred   Book,  and    refreshes   his  confi- 
dence by  noticing  how  in  all  ages  God 
has  guided  those  who  dared  to  trust  Him 
up  to  the  very  hilt;  but  who,  at  the  time, 
must  have  been  as  perplexed  as  we  are 
often   now.      We  know  how  Abraham 
left  kindred  and  country,  and  started, 
vvith  no  other  guide  than  God,  across  the 
trackless  desert,  to  a  land  which  he  knew 
not.     We  know^  how  for  forty  years  the 
Israelites  were  led  through  the  peninsula 
of  Sinai,  with  its  labyrinths  of  red  sand- 
stone, and  its  wastes  of  sand.     We  know 
how  Joshua,  in  entering  the  Land  of  Pro- 
mise, was  able  to  cope  with  the  diffi  culties 
of  an  unknown  region,  and  to  overcome 
great  and  warlike   nations,  because  he 
looked  to  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's  Host, 
who  ever  leads  to  victory.      We  know 
how,  in  the  early  Church,  the  Apostles 
were  enabled  to  thread  their  way  through 
the  most  ditificult  questions,  and  to  solve 
the  most  perplexing  problems:    laying 


98  Gut^ance. 


down  principles  which  guide  the  Church 
to  the  end  of  time;  and  this  because  it 
was  revealed  to  them  as  to  what  they 
should  do  and  say,  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  promises  for  guidafice  are  unmistak- 
able. 

Psa.  xxxii.  8:  **  I  will  instruct  thee  and 
teach  thee  in  the  way  which  thou  shalt 
go."  This  is  God's  distinct  assurance  to 
those  whose  transgressions  are  forgiven, 
and  whose  sins  are  covered,  and  who  are 
more  quick  to  notice  the  least  symp- 
tom of  His  will,  than  horse  or  mule  to 
feel  the  bit. 

Prov.  iii.  6:  "In  all  thy  ways  acknowl- 
edge Him,  and  He  shall  direct  (or  make 
plain)  thy  paths."  A  sure  word,  on 
which  we  may  rest;  if  only  we  fulfil  the 
previous  conditions,  of  trusting  with  all 
our  heart,  and  of  not  leaning  to  our  own 
understanding. 

Isa.  Iviii.  ii:  "The  Lord  shall  guide 
thee  continually."  It  is  impossible  to 
think  that  He  could  guide  us  at  all,  if 


XTbe  promises  of  6ot)»        99 

He  did  not  guide  us  always.  For  the 
greatest  events  of  life,  like  the  huge 
rocking-stones  in  the  West  of  England, 
revolve  on  the  smallest  points.  A  pebble 
may  alter  the  flow  of  a  stream.  The 
growth  of  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  may 
determine  the  rainfall  of  a  continent. 
Thus  we  are  bidden  look  for  a  Guidance 
which  shall  embrace  the  whole  of  life 
in  all  its  myriad  necessities. 

John  viii.  12:  "I  am  the  light  of  the 
world;  he  that  foUoweth  Me  shall  not 
walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the 
light  of  life."  The  reference  here  seems 
to  be  to  the  wilderness  wanderings;  and 
the  Master  promises  to  be  to  all  faithful 
souls,  in  their  pilgrimage  to  the  City  of 
God,  all  that  the  cloudy  pillar  was  to  the 
children  of  Israel  on  their  march  to  the 
Land  of  Promise. 

,  These  are  but  specimens.  The  vault 
of  Scripture  is  inlaid  with  thousands 
such,  that  glisten  in  their  measure,  as  the 
stars  which  guide  the  wanderer  across 


loo  (Butbance, 


the  deep.  Well  may  the  prophet  sum  up 
the  heritage  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord, 
by  saying  of  the  Holy  City,  "All  thy 
children  shall  be  taught  of  the  Lord,  and 
great  shall  be  the  peace  of  thy  children." 

And  yet  it  may  seem  to  some  tried  and 
timid  hearts,  as  if  every  one  mentioned 
in  the  Word  of  God  was  helped,  but  they 
are  left  without  help.  They  seem  to 
have  stood  before  perplexing  problems, 
face  to  face  with  life's  mysteries,  eagerly 
longing  to  know  what  to  do  —  but  no 
angel  has  come  to  tell  them,  and  no  iron 
gate  has  opened  to  them  in  the  prison- 
house  of  circumstances. 

Some  lay  the  blame  on  their  own  stu- 
pidity. Their  minds  are  blunt  and  dull. 
They  cannot  catch  God's  meaning,  which 
would  be  clear  to  others.  They  are  so 
nervous  of  doing  wrong,  that  they  can- 
not learn  clearly  what  is  right.  '"Who 
is  blind,  but  My  servant?  or  deaf,  as  my 
messenger  that  I  sent?  Who  is  blind  as 
he  that  is  perfect,  and  blind  as  the  Lord's 


H  ffatber's  Care*  loi 

servant?"  Yet,  how  do  we  treat  our 
children?  One  child  is  so  bright-witted 
and  so  keen  that  a  little  hint  is  enough 
to  indicate  the  way;  another  was  born 
dull;  it  cannot  take  in  your  meaning 
quickly.  Do  you  only  let  the  clever  one 
know  what  you  want?  Will  you  not 
take  the  other  upon  your  knee  and  make 
clear  to  it  the  directions  which  baffle  it? 
Does  not  the  distress  of  the  tiny  nurs- 
ling, who  longs  to  know  that  it  may 
immediately  obey,  weave  an  almost 
stronger  bond  than  that  which  binds  you 
to  the  rest?  O  weary,  perplexed,  and 
stupid  children,  believe  in  the  great  love 
of  God,  and  cast  yourselves  upon  it,  sure 
that  He  will  come  down  to  your  igno- 
rance, and  suit  Himself  to  your  needs, 
and  will  take  "the  lambs  in  His  arms, 
and  carry  them  in  His  bosom,  a.nd  g-ent/j/ 
lead  those  that  are  with  young." 

There  are  certain  practical  directions 
which  we  must  attend  to  in  order  that  we 
may  be  led  into  the  mind  of  the  Lord. 


102  (Buibance. 


I.     Our  motives  must  be  pure. 

"When  thine  eye  is  single,  thy  whole 
body  also  is  full  of  light"  ( Luke  xi.  34). 
You  have  been  much  in  darkness  lately; 
and  perhaps  this  passage  will  point  the 
reason.  Your  eye  has  not  been  single. 
There  has  been  some  obliquity  of  vision. 
A  spiritual  squint.  And  this  has  hin- 
dered you  from  discerning  indications 
of  God's  will,  which  otherwise  had  been 
as  clear  as  noonday. 

We  must  be  very  careful  in  judging 
our  motives:  searching  them  as  the  de- 
tectives at  the  doors  of  the  House  of 
Commons  search  each  stranger  who  en- 
ters. When,  by  the  grace  of  God,  we 
have  been  delivered  from  grosser  forms 
of  sin,  we  are  still  liable  to  the  subtle 
working  of  self,  in  our  holiest  and  loveliest 
hours.  It  poisons  our  motive.  It  breathes 
decay  on  our  fairest  fruit-bearing.  It 
whispers  seductive  flatteries  into  our 
pleased  ears.  It  turns  the  spirit  from 
its  holy  purpose,  as  the  masses  of  iron 


Ube  ^^ Still  Small  Voiced    103 

on  ocean  steamers  deflect  the  needle  of 
the  compass  from  the  pole. 

So  long  as  there  is  some  thought  of 
personal  advantage,  some  idea  of  acquir- 
ing the  praise  and  commendation  of 
men,  some  aim  at  self-aggrandisement, 
it  will  be  simply  impossible  to  find  out 
God's  purpose  concerning  us.  The  door 
must  be  resolutely  shut  against  all  this, 
if  we  would  hear  the  still  small  voice. 
All  cross-lights  must  be  excluded,  if  we 
would  see  the  Urim  and  Thummim  stone 
brighten  with  God's  "Yes,"  or  darken 
with  His  "No." 

Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  you  the 
single  eye,  and  to  inspire  in  your  heart 
one  aim  alone;  that  which  animated  our 
Lord,  and  enabled  Him  to  cry,  as  He 
reviewed  His  life,  "I  have  glorified 
Thee  on  the  earth."  Let  this  be  the 
watchword  of  our  lives,  "Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest."  Then  our  "whole  body 
shall  be  full  of  light,  having  no  part 
dark,  as  when  the  bright  shining  of  a 
candle  doth  give  light." 


104  Gutbance, 


II.  Our  Will  Must  be  Surrendered. 

"My  judgment  is  just;  because  I  seek 
not  Mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the 
Father  which  hath  sent  Me"  (John  v. 
30).  This  was  the  secret,  which  Jesus 
not  only  practised,  but  taught.  In  one 
form  or  another  He  was  constantly  in- 
sisting on  a  surrendered  will  as  the  key 
to  perfect  knowledge,  "If  any  man  will 
do  His  will,  he  shall  know." 

There  is  all  the  difference  between  a 
will  which  is  extinguished  and  one 
which  is  surrendered.  God  does  not 
demand  that  our  wills  shouldbe  withered 
up  like  the  sinews  of  a  fakir's  unused 
arm.  He  only  asks  that  they  should 
say  "Yes"  to  Him.  Pliant  to  Him,  as 
the  willow  twig  to  the  practised  hand. 

Many  a  time,  as  the  steamer  has 
neared  the  quay,  have  I  watched  the 
little  lad  take  his  place  beneath  the  poop, 
with  eye  and  ear  fixed  on  the  captain, 
and  waiting  to  shout  each  word  he  utters 
to  the  grimy  engineers  below;  and  often 


©ur  limtll,  arib  (3ob'5,         105 

have  I  longed  that  my  will  should  re^ 
peat  as  accurately  and  as  promptly,  the 
words  and  will  of  God,  that  all  the  lower 
nature  might  obey. 

It  is  for  lack  of  this  subordination 
that  we  so  often  miss  the  guidance  we 
seek.  There  is  a  secret  controversy  be- 
tween our  will  and  God's.  And  we  shall 
never  be  right  till  we  have  let  Him  take, 
and  break,  and  make.  Oh,  do  seek  for 
that !  Never  rest  till  that  attitude  be 
yours.  Hand  yourself  over  to  Him  to 
work  in  you  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  own 
good  pleasure.  We  must  be  as  plastic 
clay,  ready  to  take  any  shape  that  the 
great  Potter  may  choose:  so  shall  we  be 
able  to  detect  His  guidance. 

ni.  We  must  Seek  Information  for 
OUR  Mind. 
This  is  certainly  the  next  step.  God 
has  given  us  these  wonderful  faculties 
of  brain  power,  and  He  will  not  ignore 
them.     In  the  days  of  the  Reformation, 


io6  6utbance» 


He  did  not  destroy  the  Roman  Catholic 
churches  or  pulpits;  He  did  better — 
He  preached  in  them.  And  in  grace. 
He  does  not  cancel  the  action  of  any  of 
His  marvellous  bestowments;  but  He 
uses  them  for  the  communication  of  His 
purposes  and  thoughts. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  then 
that  we  should  feed  our  minds  with  facts; 
with  reliable  information;  with  the  re- 
sults of  human  experience;  and  above 
all  with  the  teachings  of  the  Word  of 
God.  It  is  matter  for  the  utmost  admi- 
ration to  notice  how  full  the  Bible  is  of 
biography  and  history:  so  that  there  is 
hardly  a  single  crisis  in  our  lives  that 
may  not  be  matched  from  these  wond- 
rous pages.  There  is  no  book  like  the 
Bible  for  casting  a  light  on  the  dark 
landings  of  human  life. 

We  have  no  need  or  right  to  run  hither 
and  thither  to  ask  our  friends  what  we 
ought  to  do;  but  there  is  no  harm  in  our 
taking  pains  to  gather  all  reliable  in- 


XTbe  Ma^  mabe  ipiafn*       107 

formation,  on  which  the  flame  of  holy 
thought,  and  consecrated  purpose,  may 
feed,  and  grow  strong.  It  is  for  us  ulti- 
mately to  decide  as  God  shall  teach  us; 
but  His  voice  may  come  to  us  through 
the  voice  of  sanctified  common-sense, 
acting  on  the  materials  we  have  col- 
lected. Of  course,  at  times  God  may 
bid  us  act  against  our  reason;  but  these 
are  very  exceptional:  and  then  our  duty 
will  be  so  clear  that  there  can  be  no  mis- 
take. But  for  the  most  part,  God  will 
speak  in  the  results  of  deliberate  con- 
sideration, weighing  and  balancing  the 
pros  and  cons. 

When  Peter  was  shut  up  in  prison,  and 
could  not  possibly  extricate  himself,  an 
angel  was  sent  to  do  for  him  what 
he  could  not  do  for  himself;  but  when 
they  had  passed  through  a  street  or  two 
of  the  city,  the  angel  left  him  to  con- 
sider the  matter  for  himself.  Thus  God 
treats  us  still.  He  will  dictate  a  mirac- 
ulous  course  by   miraculous   methods. 


io8  (5utbance» 


But  when  the  ordinary  light  of  reason  is 
adequate  to  the  task,  He  will  leave  us 
to  act  as  occasion  may  serve. 

IV.  We  must  be  much  in  Prayer  for 
Guidance. 

The  Psalms  are  full  of  earnest  pleads 
ings  for  clear  direction:  "  Teach  me  Thy 
way,  O  Lord;  lead  me  in  a  plain  path, 
because  of  mine  enemies."  It  is  the  law 
of  our  Father's  house,  that  His  children 
shall  ask  for  what  they  want.  "If  any 
of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
who  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and 
upbraideth  not." 

In  a  time  of  change  and  crisis,  we  need 
to  Be  much  in  prayer,  not  only  on  our 
knees,  but  in  that  sweet  form  of  inward 
prayer,  in  which  the  spirit  is  constantly 
offering  itself  up  to  God,  asking  to  be 
shown  His  will;  soliciting  that  it  may  be 
impressed  upon  its  surface,  as  the  heav- 
enly bodies  photograph  themselves  on 
prepared  paper.  Wrapt  in  prayer  like 
this,  the  trustful  believer  may  tread  the 


Xlbe  Xlbrce  Witnesses.       109 

deck  of  the   ocean  steamer  night  after     , 
night,  sure  that  He  who  points  the  stars 
their  courses  will  not  fail  to  direct  the 
soul  which  has  no  other  aim  than  to  do 
His  will. 

One  good  form  of  prayer  at  such  a 
juncture  is  to  ask  that  doors  maybe  shut, 
that  the  way  maybe  closed,  and  that  all 
enterprises  which  are  not  according  to 
God's  will  may  be  arrested  at  their  very 
beginning.  Put  the  matter  absolutely 
into  God's  hands  from  the  outset,  and 
He  will  not  fail  to  shatter  the  project; 
and  defeat  the  aim,  which  is  not  accord- 
ing to  His  holy  will. 

V.  We  must  wait  the  Gradual  Unfold- 
ing OF  God's  Plan  in  Providence. 

God's   impressions   within,   and    His    v 
word  without,  are  always  corroborated  by 
His  providence  around;  and  we  should 
quietly  wait  until  these  three  focus  into 
one  point. 

Sometimes  it  looks  as  if  we  are  bound 
to   act.      Everyone    says   we    must  do 


no  Outdance* 


something;  and  indeed  things  seem  to 
have  reached  so  desperate  a  pitch  that 
we  must.  Behind  are  the  Egyptians; 
right  and  left  are  inaccessible  precipices: 
before  is  the  sea.  It  is  not  easy  at  such 
times  to  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation 
of  God;  but  we  must.  When  Saul  com- 
pelled himself,  and  offered  sacrifice,  be- 
cause he  thougth  that  Samuel  was  too 
late  in  coming,  he  made  one  of  the 
greatest  mistakes  of  his  life. 

God  may  delay  to  come  in  the  guise 
of  His  providence.  There  was  delay  ere 
Sennacherib's  host  lay  like  withered 
leaves  around  the  Holy  City.  There  was 
delay  ere  Jesus  came  walking  on  the  sea 
in  the  early  dawn,  or  hastened  to  raise 
Lazarus.  There  was  delay  ere  the  angel 
sped  to  Peter's  side  on  the  night  before 
his  expected  martyrdom.  He  stays 
long  enough  to  test  patience  of  faith, 
but  not  a  moment  behind  the  extreme 
hour  of  need.  "The  vision  is  yet  for  an 
appointed  time,  but  at  the  end  it  shall 


XKDlaittng  6o^'9  XTtme. 


speak,  and  shall  not  lie;  though  it  tarry, 
wait  for  it:  because  it  will  surely  come; 
it  will  not  tarry." 

It  is  very  remarkable  how  God  guides 
us  by  circumstances.  At  one  moment 
the  way  may  seem  utterly  blocked;  and 
then  shortly  afterwards  some  trivial  in- 
cident occurs,  which  might  not  seem 
much  to  others,  but  which  to  the  keen 
eye  of  faith  speaks  volumes.  Sometimes 
these  signs  are  repeated  in  different 
ways,  in  answer  to  prayer.  They  are  not 
hap-hazard  results  of  chance;  but  the 
opening  up  of  circumstances  in  the  di- 
rection in  which  we  should  walk.  And 
they  begin  to  multiply  as  we  advance 
towards  our  goal;  just  as  lights  do  as  we 
near  a  populous  town,  when  darting 
through  the  land  by  night  express. 

Sometimes  men  sigh  for  an  angel  to 
come  to  point  them  their  way:  that  sim- 
ply indicates  that  as  yet  the  time  has  not 
come  for  them  to  move.  If  you  do  not 
know  what  you  ought  to  do,  stand  still 


112  Guidance. 


until  you  do.  And  when  the  time  comes 
for  action,  circumstances  will  sparkle, 
like  glou^-worms,  along  your  path;  and 
you  will  become  so  sure  that  you  are 
right,  when  God's  three  witnesses  con- 
cur, that  you  could  not  be  surer  though 
and  angel-hand  beckoned  you  on. 

The  circumstances  of  our  daily  life  are 
to  us  an  infallible  indication  of  God's 
will,  when  they  concur  with  the  inward 
promptings  of  the  Spirit,  and  with  the 
Word  of  God.  So  long  as  they  are  sta- 
tionary, wait!  When  you  must  act,  they 
will  open;  and  a  way  will  be  made 
through  oceans  and  rivers,  wastes  and 
rocks. 

We  often  make  a  great  mistake,  think- 
ing that  God  is  not  guiding  us  at  all,  be- 
cause we  cannot  see  far  ahead.  But  this 
is  not  His  method.  He  only  undertakes 
that  the  steps  of  a  good  man  should  be 
ordered  by  the  Lord.  Not  next  year; 
but  to-morrow.  Not  the  next  mile;  but 
the  next  yard.     Not  the  whole  pattern; 


Hs  ®ur  TKIlts^om♦  17 


from  the  dead  for  many  who  read  these 
lines,  and  whose  life  has  been  a  series 
of  disappointments.  Let  us  work  it  out 
in  one  or  two  directions,  as  suggested 
by  the  Apostle  when  he  says:  "Of 
Him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God 
is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteous- 
ness, and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion." (i  Cor.  i.  30.)     Let  us 

I.  Appropriate  Christ  as  our  Wisdom. 
Many  true  Christains  find  it  difficult 
to  know  the  will  of  God.  They  long  to 
do  it,  if  only  they  knew  it;  but  it  is  hid- 
den from  their  eyes.  "Should  I  move 
to  another  town?"  "Should  I  take  such 
a  step  in  business?"  "Should  I  enter 
into  such  a  partnership,  or  ally  myself 
with  such  an  enterprise?"  "Should  I 
embark  in  this  new  branch  of  Christian 
activity?"  Such  questions  are  con- 
stantly arising  and  pressing  for  an  an- 
swer in  all  our  lives;  and  as  they  do  so 
they  excite  the  instant  inquiry,  "  Lord, 


1 8    TLbc  Hppropr tatton  ot  (Tbrlst 

what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?" 

But  how  may  we  know  God's  will? 
That  is  not  always  easy.  Yet  the  diffi- 
culty is  not  in  Him.  He  does  not  wish 
us  to  grope  painfully  in  the  dark.  Nay, 
He  is  ever  giving  us  many  signs  and 
hints  as  to  the  way  we  should  take,  too 
delicate  to  be  perceived  by  the  coarse 
eye  of  sense,  but  clear  enough  to  those 
who  are  divested  of  self-will  and  pride, 
and  only  anxious  to  know  and  do  the 
holy  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of 
God. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  seek  a  sign  from 
heaven;  to  run  from  counsellor  to  coun- 
sellor; to  cast  a  lot;  or  to  trust  to  some 
chance  coincidence.  Not  that  God  may 
not  reveal  His  will  thus;  but  because  it 
is  hardly  the  behaviour  of  a  child  with 
its  Father.  There  is  a  more  excellent 
way.  Let  the  heart  be  quieted  and 
stilled  in  the  presence  of  God;  weaned 
from  all  earthly  distractions  and  world- 
ly ambitions.     Let  the  voice  of  the  Son 


Hs  Qxxv  IRigbteousness.        19 

of  God  hush  into  perfect  rest  the  storms 
that  sweep  the  lake  of  the  inner  life, 
and  ruffle  its  calm  surface.  Let  the 
whole  being  be  centred  on  God  Him- 
self. And  then,  remembering  that  all 
who  lack  wisdom  are  to  ask  it  of  God, 
and  that  Jesus  Christ  is  already  made 
unto  us  wisdom,  let  us  quietly  appro- 
priate Him,  in  that  capacity,  by  faith; 
and  then  go  forward,  perhaps  not  con- 
scious of  any  increase  of  wisdom,  or 
able  to  see  far  in  front;  but  sure  that 
we  shall  be  guided,  as  each  new  step 
must  be  taken,  or  word  spoken,  or  de- 
cision made.  It  is  an  immense  help  in 
any  difficulty  to  say,  "  I  take  thee.  Lord 
Jesus,  as  my  wisdom,"  and  to  do  the 
next  thing,  nothing  doubting;  assured 
that  He  will  not  permit  those  who  trust 
in  Him  to  be  ashamed. 

H.    Let  us  appropriate  Christ  as  our 
Righteousness. 
It  is   not   necessary  to   convince  the 
readers  of  these  lines  that  they  need  a 


20   Ubc  Hppropriatton  of  Cbdst 

righteousness,  in  whose  stainless  white 
they  may  stand  accepted  before  the 
Holy  Father.  That,  alas!  is  but  too  ap- 
parent. Conscious  of  our  nakedness 
and  sin,  we  once  sought  to  establish 
our  ownrighteousness,  stitching  together 
the  fig-leaves,  which  died  as  we  plucked 
them,  and  became  sere  and  shrivelled. 
But  since  then  we  have  submitted  our- 
selves to  the  righteousness  of  God, 
which  is  by  faith.  There  is  often,  how- 
ever, an  apparent  doubt  in  Christian 
hearts  as  to  their  relation  to  that  right- 
eousness; and  they  do  not  realize  that, 
whether  the}^  feel  it  not,  it  is,  neverthe- 
less, covering  them,  in  all  its  radiant 
beauty;  for  in  the  thought  of  God, 
every  believer  is  arrayed  in  the  beaute- 
ous dress  of  the  Saviour's  finished  work. 
"It  is  UPON  all  them  that  believe." 
(Rom.  iii.  22.)  There  is  only  one  kind 
of  faith,  and  directly  it  is  exercised, 
though  amid  many  doubt's  and  fears, 
the  believer  is  justified,  accepted  in  the 


Bs  ©ur  iRigbteousness.       21 

Beloved,  and  accounted  not  only  as  for- 
given, but  as  righteous  in  the  sight  of 
God.     This  is  so,  whether  it  be  realized 

or  not.  .     ,       . 

The  f^rst  moment  of  faith  is  the  time 
when  we  begin  to  appropriate  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ.     At  first  it  is  with 
trembling  hands  that  we  gird  ourselves 
in  the  dress  that  cost  our  Lord  so  much. 
We   fear,   as   we  enter  the  most  holy 
place,  and  stand  where  angels  worship; 
but,  as  the  days  pass  on,  and  we  learn 
more  of  its  efficiency,  its  adaptation  to 
our  need,  and  its  preciousness  in  the 
sight  of  God,  we  become  more  assured 
of  our  position,  and  notwithstanding  re- 
peated failures  in  the  past,  the  misgiv- 
ings of  nature,  and  the  taunts  of  Hell, 
we  have   boldness   to   enter  into  that 
which  is  within  the  vail. 

Jesus  Christ  has  been  made  to  us 
righteousness  by  God;  but  He  needs  to 
be  appropriated  by  faith  when  we  are 
first  convinced  of  sin,  and  ever  after, 


22  ^be  Hppropriatton  of  Cbrist 

when  conscious  of  our  worthlessness 
and  guilt.  How  triumphant  the  ejacu- 
lation, "Jesus,  I  flee  unto  Thee  to  hide 
me;  I  appropriate  Thee  as  my  right- 
eousness before  God!" 

"I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  God:  for 
He  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments 
of  salvation.  He  hath  covered  me  with 
the  robe  of  righteousness." 

ni.    Let  us  APPROPRIATE  Christ  AS  OUR 
Sanctification. 

Sanctification  is  separation  —  separa- 
tion from  sin;  separation  to  God,  to  the 
point  of  devotion.  There  often  arises 
before  us  the  vision  of  a  devoted  life; 
such  a  life  as  Jesus  lived,  whose  only 
thought  was  to  do  the  will  of  God.  To 
recognize  God  as  the  sole  source  of  holi- 
ness. To  lean  on  Him,  and  to  listen  for 
His  voice  within  the  heart  as  the  sole 
and  sufficient  guide.  To  live  apart  from 
the  restless  aims  and  fretting  ambitions 


Hs  ®ur  Sancttticatlon.        23 

of  men.  To  be  separate  from  sin — holy, 
harmless,  and  without  rebuke.  To  keep 
ever  in  touch  with  God  and  His  thoughts 
and  aims.  To  obey  him  at  all  hazards 
and  costs.  To  be  the  channel  through 
which  the  river  of  God  may  flow  down 
into  earths  desert  places,  making  them 
rejoice  and  blossom — ah,  what  an  ideal 
is  here ! 

Yet  at  first  this  ideal  mocks  us  sore- 
ly. It  is  high,  we  cannot  attain  unto  it. 
And  we  shall  be  beaten  by  repeated 
failures  until  we  learn  the  secret,  which 
is  just  now  our  chosen  theme.  Apart 
from  that,  there  is  nothing  for  us,  but 
sadly  to  renounce  the  bright  vision 
as  impossible;  though  perhaps  reserved 
for  saintly  hearts  which  spend  their 
time  in  cloistered  piety. 

But  it  is  brought  within  the  range  of 
the  humblest  and  weakest  disciple,  who 
renounces  all  hope  of  realizingit  through 
nature's  efforts,  and  who  appropriates 
Christ  in  his  all-sufficiency.     Trust  the 


24   Ubc  Hpproprtatton  ot  Cbrtst 

Holy  Spirit  to  work  in  you  a  perpetual 
remembrance  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  and 
then  avail  yourself  of  Him  in  all  His 
offices  and  work.  And  amongst  other 
aspects,  be  sure  to  appropriate  Him  as 
your  sanctification.  When  tempted  to 
cross  the  line  of  separation,  or  to  relax 
the  energy  of  your  devotion,  look  up- 
ward, and  say,  "Be  thou  to  me  in  fact 
that  which  the  Father  has  already  made 
Thee,  in  possibility  and  by  right,  my 
Sanctification." 

IV.   Let  us  appropriate  Christ  as  our 
Redemption. 

We  have  been  redeemed  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  because  He  was  made 
a  curse  for  us.  But  we  long  to  be  re- 
deemed from  the  power  of  sin.  "The 
good  we  would,  we  do  not;  the  evil  we 
would  not,  we  do."  And  this  longing 
shall  be  met;  because  it  would  not  be 
like  our  God  to  leave  us  to  the  mercy 
of  the  strong  Pharaoh-like  foes,  which 


Bs  Qnv  IReDemptton,  25 

have  made  us  serve  under  cruel  bondage 
for  so  long.  He  must  come  down  to 
deliver  us.  Ah,  what  joyful  news  it  is 
that  He  has  done  so,  and  has  provided 
a  sufficient  deliverance  in  Jesus. 

But  this  redemption  waits  our  appro- 
priation, as  the  flowers  of  spring  await 
the  hand  of  the  flower-girl;  or  as  the 
deliverance  wrought  for  the  Jews  by 
Mordecai  awaited  their  personal  action, 
which  made  it  their  own.  From  this 
moment  give  up  your  strivings  and  en- 
deavors, and  take  Christ  as  your  deliv- 
erance from  all  the  sins  which  have 
broken  your  peace,  and  cursed  your 
joy.  When  the  oppressor  approaches 
you;  when  the  old  habit  seeks  to  assert 
itself;  when  easily  besetting  sin  begins 
to  weave  its  snare  about  you,  or  sudden- 
ly to  assail — then  look  up  to  the  Saviour, 
and  say,  '*  I  appropriate  Thee  as  my  re- 
demption in  this  my  hour  of  need  ! " 

A  lady  travelling  in  the  Southern 
States,  after  President  Lincoln  had  pro- 


26   Ube  Bppropriatton  ot  Cbrist 

claimed  the  freedom  of  the  slaves,  found 
a  black  woman,  who  was  acting  as  a 
slave,  because  she  did  not  know  that 
her  race  was  free.  She  had  heard  ru- 
mors, which  her  owner  and  others  had 
denounced  as  lies.  But  as  soon  as  she 
knew  that  she  was  free,  see  appropri- 
ated her  freedom,  and  went  forth  into 
liberty.  Let  it  be  clearly  understood 
that  the  Son  has  made  us  free,  who 
bear  His  name;  let  us  avail  ourselves  of 
our  right;  and  go  forth  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 

This  is  the  secret,  then,  of  a  glad  and 
victorious  life,  unshadowed  by  cloud  or 
defeat:  Jesus  Christ  for  all  who  believe; 
awaiting  only  the  appropriation  of  the 
most  trembling  hand  stretched  out  to- 
wards Him  in  expectation  of  faith. 

It  is  a  goodly  land  which  the  Lord 
our  god  giveth  us  in  which  scarceness 
and  penury  are  unknown.  Let  us  not 
linger  on  the  threshold,  but  go  in  to 
possess  it  with  songs  of  thanksgiving. 


II. 

Cbrtst^s  iproprletorsbtp^ 

"V/hose  I  am.  and  Whom  I  ^^xs^r-AcU  xxvii.  23. 

|N  the  "Song  of  Songs,  which  is  Solo- 
it  raon's,"  there  is  a  beautiful  gradation 
of  expression,  which  significantly  illus- 
trates the  successive  steps  in  the  expe- 
rience of  the  soul.  Thrice  does  the 
bride  speak  of  the  Bridegroom  in  similar 
terms;  but  in  each  case  there  is  a  slight 
alteration  in  the  phraseology,  which 
speaks  volumes  of  her  deepening  char- 
acter, and  truer  attitude  towards  Him.^^ 
♦'My  Beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  His." 
(Song  of  Solomon  ii.  i6.)  "I  am  my 
Beloved's,  and  my  Beloved  is  mine." 
(vi.  3.)  "I  am  my  Beloved's,  and  His 
desire  is  toward  me."     (vii.  lo.) 


28      Cbrt9t'5  Iproprtetorsbip* 


At  first  she  lays  the  chief  stress  on  the 
thought  that  all  her  Beloved  was  hers, 
and  that  she  had  a  right  to  employ  con- 
cerning Him  the  appropriating  pronoun 
My ;  it  was  only  a  secondary  consider- 
ation that  she  was  also  His. 

But  as  her  thought  ran  on,  she 
changed  the  relative  place  of  the  two 
clauses  of  the  sentence,  and  laid  her  pri- 
mal emphasis  not  on  her  appropriation 
of  Him,  but  on  his  proprietorship  of 
her:     *'I  am  His." 

And,  lastly,  this  conception  so  filled 
her  mind  that  she  had  no  thought  of 
her  side  of  the  matter,  and  was  alto- 
gether absorbed  in  the  happy  conscious- 
ness that  she  belonged  utterly,  and  for 
ever,  to  the  object  of  her  supreme  and 
adoring  love. 

This  is  also  the  history  of  each  scholar 
in  the  school  of  grace.  We  begin  by 
calculating  how  much  there  is  in  Christ 
for  us.  We  appropriate  His  fulness, 
and  count  ourselves  millionaires  in  His 


XTbe  IRunawap  Slaw,         29 

wealth.  And  there  is  no  wrong  or  harm 
in  this.  But,  as  the  days  pass  on,  we 
realize  that  there  is  a  yet  prof  ounder  truth 
on  which  this  rests;  and  to  have  that  is 
to  have  in  addition  all  that  Christ  can 
be  and  do  for  the  soul  which  clings  to 
Him — as  the  limpet  to  the  rock  on 
which  the  long  line  of  waves  breaks, 
with  boom  of  thunder  and  clouds  of 
spray,  without  detaching  it  from  its 
hold.  We  begin  by  saying,  Christ  is 
miiie:  we  go  on  to  say,  I  am  His.  We  pass 
from  the  appropriation  of  Christ  by  us 
to  the  proprietorship  of  us  by  Christ. 
And  this  is  surely  a  happier  and  better 
standing- ground:  because  the  hand, 
which  appropriates  only,  may  become 
numbed  and  tired;  but  that  which  is 
locked  in  the  hand  of  Christ,  in  the 
tight  grasp  of  ownership,  can  never  be 
withdrawn. 

Did  you,  my  Christian  reader,  ever 
realize  the  conception  that  you  are  ab- 
solutely Christ's?     You  may  not  own  it: 


30      Cbrtst's  proprtetorsbtp, 

you  may  not  live  beneath  its  power: 
nay,  you  may  seek  to  cast  the  thought 
aside;  as  Onesimus,  who,  when  he  fled 
from  Ephesus  to  hide  himself,  truant  that 
he  was,  in  the  slums  of  Rome,  tried  to 
forget  the  claims  which  Philemon,  his 
master,  had  over  him,  by  right  of  pur- 
chase. All  this  you  may  do:  and  yet, 
in  spite  of  all,  you  are  as  much  Christ's 
property  as  any  slave  would  be  the 
chattel  of  the  man  who  had  paid  down 
his  price  in  the  market,  or  who  had 
received  him  as  part  of  the  family 
estate  by  right  of  inheritance. 

And  not  only  are  yoti  the  property  of 
Christ;  but  all  you  are  and  have  is  His 
also.  The  master  owns  not  only  the 
slave,  but  all  the  proceeds  of  his  toils; 
and  all  the  personal  or  other  property 
which  he  may  acquire.  The  hapless 
serf  can  point  to  nothing  as  his;  all  is 
his  master's.  He  is  but  a  steward, 
bound  to  account  for  the  way  in  which 
every  coin  is  expended;  at  the  best  per- 


IRests  on  /IDanp  (BrouuDs.       31 

mitted  to  deduct  from  the  general  pro-  . 
ceeds  of  the  estate  only  a  bare  sufficiency 
for  his  personal  maintenance;  but  ex- 
pected to  forward  all  the  rest  to  his 
master,  or  expend  it  on  such  interests  as 
he  may  direct.  This  is  our  rightful 
position  with  respect  to  Christ.  Paul  , 
was  proud  to  call  himself  the  bond-slave 
of  Jesus  Christ.  He  chose  as  his  motto 
the  immortal  words  (badge  of  a  slavery 
which  does  not  degrade,  but  enobles  all 
who  bend  beneath  its  yoke),  ** Whose  I 
am,  and  whom  I  serve." 

I.  Christ's  Proprietorship  rests  on 
MANY  Grounds. 

We  are  His  ^j  Creation:  His  image 
and  superscription  have  been  stamped 
upon  every  lineament  of  our  face,  though 
almost  obliterated  as  the  effigy  of  the 
sovereign  from  a  well-worn  coin.  "  It  is 
He  that  hath  made  us,  and  His  we  are." 

We  are  His  by  Purchase:  for  never 
was  slave   more  certainly  acquired  by 


32      Cbrist'0  iproprtetorsbip^ 

silver  and  gold  than  we  have  been 
bought  by  His  precious  blood.  "Ye  are 
not  your  own,  ye  are  bought  with  a 
price,  wherefore  glorify  God  in  your 
body  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  His." 

We  are  His  by  Deed  of  Gift:  for  the 
Father  has  given  to  Him  all  who  shall 
come  to  Him;  and  it  is  impossible  to 
believe  that  donation  could  be  of  any- 
thing less  than  our  whole  being.  When 
God  gave  us.  He  gave  all  of  us. 

We  are  His  by  Conquest:  for  the  Man- 
soul  of  our  inner  nature  has  opened  to 
Him  her  gates,  unable  longer  to  resist; 
and,  even  though  He  be  not  as  yet  re- 
cognized in  all  her  environs,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  He  is  her  rightful  Lord 
and  King. 

Ah!  it  is  impossible  to  escape  the 
fact,  that  in  the  thought  of  God,  and 
according  to  the  rights  of  the  case,  we 
are  the  absolute  property  of  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Lord:  and  that  he  thinks  much  of 
that  fact,  is  evident  in  the  frequent  re- 


Xlbe  Spirit  ant)  tbe  TKIiorD.    129 

of  the  inner  meaning  of  the  Word,  shall 
be  soon  aware  that  they  have  received 
the  filling  that  they  seek. 

IV.  Be  prepared  to  let  the  Holy 
Ghost  do  as  He  will  with  you. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  in  us,  and  by  this 
means  Christ  is  in  us;  for  j-fe  dwells  in 
us  by  the  Spirit,  as  the  sun  dwells  in  the 
world  by  means  of  the  atmosphere  vi- 
brating with  waves  of  light.  But  we  must 
perpetually  yield  to  Him,  as  water  to  the 
containing  vessel.  This  is  not  easy;  in- 
deed it  can  only  be  accomplished  by 
incessant  self-judgment,  and  the  per- 
petual mortification  of  our  own  self-life. 

What  is  our  position  before  God  in  this 
respect?  We  have  chosen  Jesus  as  our 
substitute;  but  have  we  also  chosen 
Him,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  our  Life? 
Can  we  say,  like  the  Apostle:  "Not 
I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me"?  If  so,  we 
must  be  prepared  for  all  that  it  involves. 
We  must  be  w^illing  for  the  principle  of 


130   TTbe  ffulness  of  tbe  Spirit 

the  new  life  to  grow  at  the  expense  of 
the  self-life.  We  must  consent  for  the 
one  to  increase,  whilst  the  other  de- 
creases, through  processes  which  are 
painful  enough  to  the  flesh.  Nay,  we 
must  ourselves  be  ever  on  the  alert, 
hastening  the  processes  of  judgment, 
condemnation,  and  crucifixion.  We 
must  keep  true  in  our  allegiance  to  the 
least  behest  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  though 
it  cost  tears  of  blood. 

The  perpetual  filling  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  only  possible  to  those  who  obey  Him; 
and  who  obey  Him  in  all  things.  There 
is  nothing  trivial  in  this  life.  By  the 
neglect  of  slight  commands,  a  soul  may 
speedily  get  out  of  the  sunlit  circle, 
and  lose  the  gracious  plenitude  of  Spirit- 
power.  A  look,  a  word,  a  refusal,  may 
suffice  to  grieve  Him  in  ourselves,  and 
to  quench  Him  in  others.  Count  the 
cost;  yet  do  not  shrink  back  afraid  of 
what  He  may  demand.  He  is  the  Spirit 
of  love;    and  He  loves  us  too  well  to 


Uo  be  recetv>e&  bp  ffattb.     1 3 1 

cause  grief,  unless  there  is  a  reason, 
which  we  should  approve,  if  we  kne\\ 
as  much  as  He. 

V.     Receive  Him  by  Faith. 

"As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus  the 
Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  Him."  Faith  is  the 
one  law  of  the  Divine  household.  And 
as  once  you  obtained  forgiveness  and 
salvation  by  faith,  so  now  claim  and  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Spirit's  fulness. 

Fulfil  the  conditions  already  named; 
wait  quietly  but  definitely  before  God  in 
prayer,  for  He  gives  His  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  Him:  then  reverently  ap- 
propriate this  glorious  gift;  and  rise 
from  your  knees,  and  go  on  your  way, 
reckoning  that  God  has  kept  His  word, 
and  that  you  are  filled  with  the  Spirit. 
Trust  Him  day  by  day  to  fill  you  and 
keep  you  filled.  According  to  your 
faith,  so  shall  it  be  done  to  you. 

There  may  not  be,  at  first,  the  sound 
of  rushing  wind,  or  the  coronet  of  fire. 


132    XTbe  jfulnesB  of  tbe  S^ptrtt 

or  the  sensible  feeling  of  Hi:  presence. 
Do  not  look  for  these,  any  n\ore  than 
the  young  convert  should  looi<  :o  feeling 
as  an  evidence  of  acceptance  But  be- 
lieve, in  spite  of  feeling,  thht  you  are 
filled.  Say  over  and  over,  "  I  thank  Thee, 
O  my  God,  that  Thou  hast  kept  Thy 
word  with  me.  I  opened  my  mouth,  and 
Thou  hast  filled  it;  though,  as  yet,  I  am 
not  aware  of  any  special  change."  And 
the  feeling  will  sooner  or  later  bre.^k  in 
upon  your  consciousness,  and  you  will 
rejoice  with  exceeding  great  joy;  and  all 
the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  will  begin  to  show 
themselves. 

There  is,  of  course,  more  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  than  is  at  all  realized 
by  the  writer  of  these  feeble  lines.  The 
fiery  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  maybe 
something  far  beyond.  Let  us  not  then 
be  content  to  miss  anything  possible  to 
redeemed  men;  but,  leaving  the  things 
that  are  behind,  let  us  press  on  to  those 
before,  striving   to    apprehend    all    for 


'^Creater  IMorF^s/*  133 

which  we  have  been  apprehended  by 
Christ  Jesus.  And  if  we  persevere,  we 
shall  realize  possibilities  in  our  lives  that 
shall  recall  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  and 
enable  us  to  understand  what  Jesus 
meant  when  He  spoke  of  those  greater 
works  which  should  be  wrought  by  them 
that  shouH  believe  in  Him  after  He  had 
gone  to  P  1^  Father. 


VIII. 
®ur  Mor??  tor  Cbrlst 

"To  every  man  his  work." — Mark  xiii.  34. 

^^HE  Christian  life  is  sure  to  manifest 
^^  itself  in  holy  activity;  as  certainly  as 
the  life  of  a  vegetable  or  plant  manifests 
itself  in  flower  and  fruit.  It  is  perfectly 
true  to  speak  of  such  activities  as  work 
— "to  every  man  his  work."  But  to 
describe  them  as y^?«V,  brings  out  another 
shade  of  meaning,  and  indicates  our  en- 
tire dependence  for  all  successful  work, 
on  our  living  connection  with  our  glori- 
ous Lord. 

The  Lord  Jesus  is  Himself  the  great 
Worker.  He  came  to  finish  the  work 
which  His  Father  gave  Him  to  do.  St. 
Mark  fitly  describes  Him  during  His 
earthly  career  as  the  swift  and  incessant 
v/orker,  whose  days  were  crowded  with 
incident  from  early  dawn  far  on  into  the 


Cbrist,  tbe  Great  MorF^er,    135 

night.    "I  must  work  the  works  of  Him 
that  sent  Me,  while  it  is  day." 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that 
His  work  has  ceased.  The  Gospels  tell 
us  only  of  what  He  begmi  to  do  and  teach. 
But  the  book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
which  might  be  better  called  the  Book 
of  the  Acts  of  the  living  and  ascended 
Lord,  takes  up  the  wondrous  story,  and 
tells  us  of  what  He  continued  to  do  and 
teach,  after  He  had  passed  through  the 
heavens  to  the  right  hand  of  God.  He 
is  still  the  great  Worker  throughout  all 
the  ages,  both  in  the  universe,  and  in 
the  Church.  And  the  sacred  record  al- 
ready mentioned  closes  abruptly  with 
great  fitness;  because  the  wondrous 
story  of  the  Acts  of  the  Lord  did  not 
finish  when  Paul  in  his  hired  house,  for 
two  whole  years,  had  preached  unhin- 
dered the  things  concerning  the  King- 
dom of  God,  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
world-kingdom.  It  runs  on  throughout 
the  centuries,  and  is  still  being  written  by 


136      ©ur  Ximork  for  Cbrtst 

angel  fingers  in  the  chronicles  of  eternity. 
But  is  it  not  true  that  the  ascended 
Lord  requires  organs  and  instruments 
for  the  expression  and  working  out  of 
His  mighty  thoughts  and  purposes?  He 
is  the  Head  of  the  body,  the  Church; 
and  He  needs  members,  as  the  medium 
through  which  He  may  convey  His  pur- 
poses of  grace  and  power  towards  the 
world.  As  of  old  He  passed  the  blessings 
that  throbbed  in  His  heart  through  the 
hands,  and  lips,  and  presence  of  His  mor- 
tal body;  so  now  He  must  employ  His 
own  beloved  ones  to  be  His  hands.  His 
lips.  His  feet.  His  body  —  by  which 
men  may  receive  healing  virtue.  St.  Paul 
was  therefore  consistent  with  the  deep- 
est truth,  when  "he  declared  particularly 
what  things  God  had  wroicght  ?imong  the 
Gentiles  by  his  ministry."  And  we  shall 
work  effectively  when  we  understand 
that  we  are  not  required  to  originate  or 
execute  work  for  Christ,  so  much  as  to 
work  out  His  schemes,  in  His  own 
strength. 


Cbrlst  lKIlorf?mg  tlbrougb  tils,  1 37 

Who  amongst  the  readers  of  these  lines 
does  not  long  to  be  as  useful  as  possible 
in  this  brief  life;  to  fulfil  all  the  possi- 
bilities of  usefulness;  and  to  apprehend 
that  for  which  Christ  has  apprehended 
him  ?  But  this  can  never  be,  until  all  the 
powers  of  nature,  which  Christ  has  re- 
deemed, are  placed  absolutely  at  His 
disposal,  with  this  prayer,  "  Do  with  me, 
in  me,  to  me,  by  me,  as  Thou  wilt;  only 
make  as  much  of  me  as  can  be  made  on 
this  side  of  the  gates  of  pearl.  Work 
out  Thine  own  ideal.  Fulfil  in  me  all 
the  good  pleasure  of  Thy  will.  Perfect 
that  which  concerneth  me." 

The  maker  of  the  organ  can  best  de- 
velop the  sweet  and  mighty  tones  which 
sleep  within  its  compass.  The  inventor 
of  an  ingenious  machine  can  best  unfold 
its  varied  appliances.  And  surely  it 
stands  to  reason  that  He  who  knows 
what  is  in  us  can  best  call  forth  our  fac- 
ulties, and  use  them,  and  manipulate 
them  for  His  glory,  and  to  our  joy.   Oh, 


1 38       Qxw  mork  tor  Cbrtst 

what  could  not  the  Lord  Jesus  do  by  us, 
if  only  we  were  wholly  yielded  to  Him! 
Let  us  note  a  few  hints  which  maybe 
of  assistance  to  Christian  workers. 

L    Work  from  Pure  Motives. 

Legends  tell  that  when  the  Emperor 
Justinian  had  built  the  Byzantine  Church 
with  a  view  to  his  own  aggrandisement 
and  glory,  on  the  day  of  dedication  he 
looked  in  vain  for  his  own  name  on  the 
memorial  stone.  Angel  hands  had  ob- 
literated it,  and  substituted  for  it  that  of 
the  widow,  Euphrasia — whose  only  merit 
was,  that  out  of  pure  devotion  she  had 
strewn  a  little  straw  in  front  of  the  beasts 
that  drew  the  heavily-laden  trucks  of 
marble  from  the  quarry  to  the  sacred 
pile.  His  motive  was  so  ignoble  that 
heaven  ignored  his  gift;  hers  was  so  pure 
and  lovely  that  she  received  credit  for 
the  whole. 

Alas!  how  much  of  our  work  vanishes, 
without  note  in  heaven,  because  it 
springs  from  no  motive  that  can  pass 


pure  /IDottws,  139 

muster  there.  Earth  rings  with  its  fame, 
and  therein  we  find  our  only  and  suffi- 
cient recompense;  but  the  tidings  never 
travel  further,  whilst  other  deeds, 
which  arrest  no  notice  here,  stir  all  heaven 
with  interest  and  wonder,  because  of  the 
mighty  motives  that  gave  them  birth. 

With  what  shame  do  many  of  us  re- 
view the  ignoble  and  worthless  motives 
by  which  we  have  been  prompted.  To 
gain  a  livelihood;  to  win  a  name;  to  ex- 
cite applause;  to  outvie  some  neighbor; 
to  win  a  victory;  to  accomplish  a  difficult 
and  almost  impossible  task;  these  have 
inspired  us  in  many  deeds  of  Christian 
service,  which  have  received  the  com- 
mendation of  those  who  judge  by  ap- 
pearance, and  not  by  heart.  How  could 
our  God  be  pleased  with  us,  or  accept 
our  service  !  Our  most  splendid  deeds 
have  been  irreparably  spoilt  by  the  mean- 
ness of  the  motives  that  prompted  them. 

Our  motives  must  be  pure.  The  root 
will  affect  all  the  fruit.    The  stream  can> 


140       Qnv  Morf;  tor  Cbnst, 

not  rise  higher  than  its  source.  We  must 
get  rid  of  the  constant  thought  of  self. 
We  must  become  oblivious  to  the  praise 
or  blame  of  man.  We  must  let  the  sun 
of  Divine  love  burn  out  the  fires  of  self- 
ish ambition  and  personal  aims.  We 
must  bring  our  weak  and  weary  hearts 
to  the  Heart-physician,  asking  Him  to 
cleanse  them  by  the  inspiration  of  His 
Holy  Spirit,  disentwining  the  clinging 
evil  of  self,  and  filling  us  with  His  own 
sweet,  ingenuous,  and  perfect  love.  May 
our  hearts  burn  with  the  pure  flame  of 
devotion  that  trembles  in  the  hearts  of 
seraphs!  This  our  cry  in  life  and  death: 
"Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest!" 

H.     Work  on  God's  Plan. 

One  of  the  most  suggestive  texts  in 
the  Bible,  far-reaching  in  its  many  ap- 
plications, is  that  in  which  God  says  to 
Moses,  "See  that  thou  make  all  things 
according  to  the  pattern  showed  thee  in 
the  Mount."  Not  a  stake,  or  a  curtain, 
or  an  atom  of  fragrant  spice  was  left  to 


XTbe  Cause  of  jfallure,       141 

the  genius  of  the  artificer,  or  the  fancy 
of  the  lawgiver.  All  was  unfolded  to 
Moses  in  elaborate  detail;  and  all  he  had 
to  do  was  to  produce  that  plan  in  care- 
ful and  exact  obedience,  until  at  last  it 
stood  complete  before  the  wondering 
host  of  Israel.  And  God  provided  the 
material  in  abundance,  out  of  which  the 
plan  was  to  be  elaborated.  If  we  will 
execute  His  plans,  we  need  have  no 
anxiety  about  the  stuff;  He  will  make 
Himself  responsible  for  that. 

Does  not  this  touch  the  secret  of  much 
of  our  failure?  We  reason  thus:  "This 
seems  a  feasible  thing;  it  promises  well; 
other  men  are  doing  it;  success  seems 
within  grasp,  and  would  be  very  sweet : 
I  shall  certainly  go  in  for  it."  We  do  not 
stay  to  ask  whether  it  is  one  of  those 
good  works  which  God  has  before  pre- 
pared for  us  to  walk  in.  We  do  not 
seek  to  know,  by  prayer  and  waiting, 
whether  it  is  in  God's  plan  for  us.  We 
do  not  humbly  wait  to  be  taught  if  God 


142       ©ur  TKHorft  tor  Cbrtst. 

wants  our  help  in  this  special  direction. 
And  it  is  only  when  we  have  plunged 
deeply  into  our  course,  and  have  met 
with  all  manner  of  discouragement,  that 
we  begin  to  question  whether  we  should 
have  adopted  it  at  all.  Then  we  run  to 
ask  God  to  extricate  us;  to  help  us  out; 
and  to  forgive  us  for  having  built,  and 
launched,  and  chartered  our  ships,  with- 
out asking  Him  if  we  were  acting  in  ac- 
cordance with  His  will. 

The  fact  is,  we  start  an  enterprise,  and 
presently  ask  God  to  help  us;  instead  of 
first  asking  what  He  was  doing,  and 
whether  we  could  help  Him. 

Do  not  think  that  this  mode  of  life  will 
lead  to  listless  dreaming.  None  are  so  en- 
ergetic, so  swift,  so  mighty  in  their  holy 
activities  as  those  who  know  that  they 
are  on  God's  lines;  doing  their  little  bit 
in  the  mighty  scheme  of  tesselated  pave- 
ment; sure  that  His  accomplished  plan 
will  amply  justify  them;  and  casting  all 
responsibilities  on  His  perfect  wisdom. 


Clean  IDessels.  143 

Do  not  run  hither  and  thither,  asking 
for  work.  How  can  any  one  tell  you 
what  the  Master  wants  you  to  do?  We 
can  but  guess  at  the  best.  Go  straight  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  for  yourselves.  Tell  Him 
you  cannot  bear  to  be  shut  out  of  His 
glorious  fellowship.  Entreat  Him  to  in- 
dicate your  place.  And  never  rest  con- 
tent until,  like  Peter,  you  turn  from  the 
vision  to  the  task;  and,  in  the  knock  of 
the  far-travelled  messengers,  you  are 
summoned  to  the  w^ork  which  needs  you. 

HI.  Work  AS  those  FreshlyCleansed. 

The  priests  must  w^ash  in  the  laver  be- 
fore they  perform  the  'service  of  the 
Sanctuary.  They  must  be  clean  who 
bear  the  vessels  of  the  Lord.  A  man  must 
purge  himself  from  iniquity,  if  he  shall 
be  "a  vessel  unto  honor,  sanctified  and 
meeu  for  the  Master's  use,  and  prepared 
unto  every  good  work."    (2  Tim.  ii.  21.) 

If,  in  haste,  we  would  give  a  draught 
of  refreshing  water  to  a  traveller,  we  take 
from  our  shelf  the  first  vessel  which  is 


144      ©ur  MorJ^  tor  Cbrtst. 

cleaji.  We  pass  over  the  elegant  and 
richly-chased  cup  for  the  earthenware 
mug,  if  the  latter  has  a  cleanliness  which 
the  former  lacks.  And  our  Lord  Jesus 
will  gladly  use  us  for  His  service,  though 
we  be  of  but  common  ware,  if  only  we 
are  clean  and  ready  for  use. 

In  our  hospitals,  the  instruments  used 
in  operations  are  constantly  kept  in 
carbolic  acid,  that  they  may  not  carry  the 
slightest  contagion  to  the  open  wound; 
and  we  cannot  touch  the  open  and  fester- 
ing wounds  which  sin  has  caused  without 
injury  to  ourselves  and  others,  unless  we 
are.  ever  in  the  flow  of  the  blood  and 
water  of  which  St.  John  speaks. 

IV.  Work  in  God's  Strength. 

No  man  is  sent  to  the  warfare  on  his 
own  charges;  and  yet  many  Christians 
argue  as  if  that  were  one  of  heaven's 
standing  orders.  None,  however,  are 
ever  called  to  a  work  which  God  does 
not  know  is  within  the  limits  of  the 
strength  which  He  has  given,  or  which 


Qnv  Meanness;  Go^'s  Strengtb.  145 

He  is  ready  to  give,  to  the  opened,  up- 
turned heart.  He  does  not  want  our 
strength  —  it  is  often  a  hindrance  to 
Him;  because  we  are  so  apt  to  rely  on 
it,  to  the  exclusion  of  Himself.  He  wants 
our  weakness,  our  infirmities,  our  noth- 
ingness—  "that  the  excellency  of  the 
power  may  be  of  God,  and  not  of  us." 
So  far  from  your  consciousness  of  power- 
lessness  being  a  barrier  to  your  efficient 
work,  it  will  be  one  of  the  strongest  ele- 
ments in  your  success  —  if  only  you  are 
driven  to  lay  hold  on  His  strength,  and 
be  at  peace.  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for 
thee:  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in 
weakness.  Most  gladly,  therefore,  will 
I  rather  glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the 
power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me." 

When  asking  Christians  to  undertake 
certain  branches  of  Christian  work,  one 
is  so  often  met  with  the  excuse,  "I  can- 
not do  it;  I  am  not  fitted  for  it.  I  have 
no  power  to  speak."  Such  have  much 
need  to  get  back  to  the  desert  and  learn 


146       ©ur  Wiovli  tor  Cbvist 

the  significant  lesson  of  the  rod  which 
Moses  held  in  his  hand.  He  was  ques- 
tioning his  sufficiency  to  take  up  the 
work  which  was  being  thrust  upon  him; 
but  he  learnt  that  if  only  a  rod  is  cast 
down  before  God,  it  becomes  endowed 
with  new  powers;  it  can  be  and  do  what 
would  be  impossible  by  nature:  and 
through  the  power  of  God  it  may  become 
invested  with  such  might  as  to  carve  a 
way  through  the  waves;  roll  back  the 
hosts  of  Amalek;  and  bring  water  from 
the  flinty  rock.  Why  should  not  we  be 
as  that  rod  in  the  hands  of  Christ? 
Without  Him  we  cannot  be  other  than 
broken  reeds;  but  in  and  with  Him  we 
become  pillars  in  the  temple  from  which 
we  shall  go  no  more  out.  "I  can  do  all 
things  in  Him  which  strengtheneth  me." 
And  there  is  no  way  so  good  of  getting 
God's  strength  as  being  diligent  students 
of  His  precious  Word.  This  is  the  me- 
dium of  conveying  strength  to  our  inmost 
souls;  as  the  grain  conveys  the  strength 


Success  lEnsure^.  147 

of  the  earth  to  the  nutriment  of  our  nat- 
ural life.  Read  your  Bibles,  Christian 
workers,  if  you  would  be  strong.  And 
it  also  stands  to  reason  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  much  more  likely  to  use  mar- 
v^ellously  the  man  whose  mind  is  steeped 
and  saturated  with  the  thoughts  and 
phraseology  of  Scripture,  which  has 
been  indited  by  Him  as  the  medium  of 
eternal  truths  to  human  hearts. 

V.  Work  in  Believing  Expectancy. 

How  often  and  how  truly  it  has  been 
said  that  God  never  uses  a  discouraged 
man.  No  great  measure  of  success  will 
ever  come  to  him  who  does  not  believe 
in  it,  and  expect  it.  In  this,  as  in  all  other 
spiritual  work,  we  are  governed  by  one 
unchanging  law:  According  to  your 
faith  be  it  done  unto  you.  "Only  be 
thou  strong  and  very  courageous." 

And  why  should  we  not  go  forth  with 
the  elastic  tread  of  those  who  know  that 
they  shall  doubtless  come  again  with 
rejoicing,     bringing    with    them    their 


148      Qnv  Wiovf^  tor  Cbrist 

sheaves?  We  go  on  God's  errands; 
we  are  provided  with  His  seed,  we  are 
directed  by  His  unerring  wisdom  to  our 
plot  in  the  field;  we  are  sure  of  His  co- 
operation in  giving  sun  and  shower,  dew 
and  rain.  We  may  have  to  wait,  as  all 
true  husbandmen  must;  but  there  can 
be  no  doubt  as  to  the  ultimate  issue. 

Oh,  what  a  glorious  work  is  ours  !  To 
give  effect  to  the  yearnings  of  Divine 
love;  to  be  the  organs  and  instruments 
of  the  redemptive  purpose  of  God;  to 
be  associated  with  Christ  in  the  salva- 
tion of  the  lost;  to  pluck  men  as  brands 
from  the  burning,  and  to  hold  them  aloft 
as  torches  for  the  progress  of  the  King; 
to  hasten  the  glad  day  of  His  second 
coming;  to  be  His  heralds  and  ambas- 
sadors—  these  were  enough  to  lure  an 
archangel  from  his  seat.  Well  is  it  to 
have  been  summoned  to  do  it;  and  a 
thousand  times  better  to  know  that  it  is 
to  be  the  employment  of  eternal  ages, 
of  which  it  is  written,  "His  servants 
shall  serve  Him. 


IX. 

ConcluMnG  Mor^s* 

"Keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God." — Jude  21. 

^^HE  longer  we  live,  the  less  we  care 
^^  to  speak  of  our  love  to  God,  and  the 
more  we  dwell  on  God's  love  to  us.  As 
we  climb  the  hill  of  Christian  experience, 
we  see  the  ever-growing  horizon  of  the 
ocean  of  divine  tenderness;  and  we  be- 
come ashamed  even  to  mention  the  pool 
of  our  love  that  lies  far  away  in  the  vale 
beneath.  Besides,  we  come  to  see  that 
all  true  love  to  God  is  only  a  reflected 
gleam  of  His  great  love  towards  us.  "We 
love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us." 

There  is  no  sweeter  atmosphere  in 
which  to  live  than  the  perpetual  con- 
sciousness that  God  loves  us.  Like  the 
steady  heat  of  the  hot-house  producing 
flowers  and  fruits  amid  the  frosts  of  De- 
cember: so,  in  this  icy  world,  the  genial 


ISO        ConcluMno  Mor^s. 

glow  of  the  love  of  God  experienced  per- 
ennially by  the  believer  will  produce 
those  results  which  are  exotics  to  this 
World,  though  they  are  native  to  the 
soil  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

When  the  Apostle  bids  us  keep  our- 
selves in  the  love  of  God,  he  surely  does 
not  mean  that  we  need  to  exert  ourselves 
to  prevent  the  cessation  of  God's  love  to- 
ward us.  The  love  of  God  is  without 
variableness,  or  shadow  of  turning.  Hav- 
ing loved  His  own  which  are  in  the  world, 
He  loves  them  unto  the  end.  We  may 
rest  satisfied  that  nothing  can  separate 
us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  If  we  are  faithless,  He 
remaineth  faithful.  If  we  wander  away 
into  backsliding  and  coldness.  He  con- 
tinues immutably  the  same.  If  we,  like 
Peter,  deny  Him,  yet  He  still  looks  on 
us  with  yearning  affection,  enough  to 
break  our  hearts.  Oh,  clasp  fhis  blessed 
thought  to  your  inner  consciousness!  — 
that  the  love  of  God  is  more  tenacious 


Gob's  3f  aitbtulnesB.        1 5 1 


than  a  mother's— "she  may  forget"— 
and  more  lasting  than  hills  or  moun- 
tains, which  "may  depart." 

But  the  love  of  God  to  us  is  one  thing; 
and  our  appreciation  and  enjoyment  of 
that  love  is  quite  another.    The  one   is 
unalterably  the  same;  while  the  other 
is  fitful  and  intermittent.      Sometimes 
we  are  very  sensible  of  the  warm  beam 
of  God's  love  shining  blessedly  into  our 
souls;    at  other  times  we  have  no  such 
joyous  consciousness  of  His  love:    but 
we  must  remember  that  God's  love   to 
us  does  not  in  any  way  depend  on  our 
consciousness  of  it.     It  is  not  most,  be- 
cause we  happen  to  feel  it  most;  or  least, 
because  we  have  almost  ceased  to  feel  it 
at  all.  The  one  is  no  guage  of  the  amount 
of  the  other.     God's  love  to  us  is  ever 
constant,  however  much   our  apprecia- 
tion of  it  may  vary.   When  the  sunlight 
beams  seem  to  touch  only  a  rim  of  the 
moon's  surface,  we  do  not  argue  that  the 
sun  is  growmg  cold  and  dark.     When  a 


152        ConcluMng  Mor^s, 

child  wanders  far  afield  from  home  and 
mother,  we  do  not  suppose  that  the  love 
has  necessarily  died  out  in  that  mother's 
heart. 

Nevertheless,  though  our  conscious- 
ness of  God's  love,  does  not  determine 
its  amount  or  constancy,  yet  it  is  very  de- 
lightful and  helpful  to  realize  it  always. 
Thus  we  become  most  sensitive  to  sin. 
Thus  we  acquire  purity  of  heart.  Thus  we 
become  strong  and  fearless.  Thus,  too, 
we  become  magnetic,  attracting  others 
to  Him  who  has  made  us  what  we  are. 
This  then  is  the  question  with  which  we 
opened,  and  with  which  we  close,  these 
thoughts  on  Christian  Living — "  May  we 
not  live  in  the  hourly  consciousness  of 
the  love  of  God  toward  us. 

Is  not  this  what  Jesus  meant  when  He 
said,  "I  have  kept  My  Father's  com- 
mandments, 2ind  abide  in  His  love?"  Is 
not  this  what  He  meant,  when  He  bade 
us  keep  His  commandments  and  abide 
in  His  own  love  ?  And  what  else  did  Jude 


XTbe  alWmportant  diuestton.  153 

mean  by  bidding  his  fellow-Christians  to 
keep  themselves  "in  the  love  of  God"? 

We  may  not  always  or  exclusively  be 
dwelling  on  it;  but  continually  looking 
up  from  our  work,  and  finding  that  that 
benignant  face  is  still  smiling  on  us;  and 
that  that  over-arching  heaven  of  love  is 
still  above  and  around;  not  able  to  speak 
much  of  our  love  to  God,  but  always  able 
to  speak  of  His  love  to  us  —  like  a  child 
who  plays  about  the  house  without  ques- 
tioning for  a  moment,  because  it  feels 
instinctively  that  all  around  it  is  shining 
the  love  of  the  mother. 

There  are  three  or  four  brief  hints 
that  may  be  of  service : — 

/.  Take  time  to  cofisider  God's  love  to  you. 
God  loves  the  world,  because  He  loves 
each  unit  in  the  great  sum  of  human  life. 
We  see  the  parterres  of  spring;  to  Him 
each  flower  is  distinct.  To  us  the  spar- 
rows are  so  similar  that  we  cannot  dis- 
tinguish one  from  the  rest;  but  He  marks 
each  sparrow's  fall.   We  stand  in  wonder 


154        ConcluMng  TOlor^s, 

beneath  the  arch  of  the  starry  sky,  and 
are  bewildered  by  the  multitudinousness 
of  the  star-dust.  He  calls  each  atom  by 
its  separate  name.  And  so  when  we  think 
of  God's  love  to  us,  we  must  not  think 
He  loves  us  as  part  of  the  race;  but  with 
a  special  individualizing  love,  which 
singles  us  out  of  the  crowd,  as  a  father 
loves  each  child  with  a  love  in  which  no 
other  can  share. 

"Thou  art  as  much  His  care,  as  if  beside 
Nor  man,  nor  angel  lived  in  heaven  and  earth." 

This  belief  in  God's  personal  love  is 
very  helpful.  It  prevents  us  from  feeling 
lost  in  a  crowd.  But  it  is  not  natural  or 
easy  at  first.  We  must  be  patient,  and 
take  time  to  allow  the  thought  to  possess 
us,  in  its  mighty  grasp.  We  must  get 
alone,  and  shut  the  door  upon  the  busy 
world,  and  set  ourselves  to  comprehend 
the  meaning  of  those  three  small  words, 
God  loves  me.  We  must  learn  that  it  is 
of  the  very  nature  of  an  Infinite  Being  to 
be  as  much  in  one  place  as  though  He 
were  in  no  other  place;  and  to  love  one 


**6o^  Xoves/lC)e/'  155 


lonely  heart  as  if  there  were  none  other 
to  share  His  love  in  all  the  wide  universe. 
In  the  morning,  before  you  enter  on  the 
calls  of  daily  duty,  take  time  — five  min- 
utes—quietly to  realize  that  you  are 
the  object  of  the  deep  personal  love  of 
the  Infinite  God. 

//.  Accept  all  the  i?icide?its  of  the  day  as 
coming  from  His  love.  I  do  not  see  how  we 
can  make  distinctions  between  God's  or- 
daining and  His  permissive  providence, 
any  more  than  we  can  between  His  spe- 
cial and  general  providence.  All  life,  and 
its  many  incidents;  what  comes  to  us  di- 
rectly from  His  hand,  equally  with  what 
is  permitted  to  happen  to  us  through 
the  means  of  others— must  be  traced 
back  to  Himself  as  the  ultimate  final 
cause.  Our  Lord  was  delivered  by  the 
determinate  counsel  and  fore-knowledge 
of  God;  though  this  did  not  lessen  the 
wickedness  of  the  hands  by  which  He 
was  crucified  and  slain.  Here  is  the  mys- 
tery of  the  ages;  but  let  not  the  mystery 


156        ConcluMng  Mor^9♦ 

rob  us  of  the  undoubted  truth,  that  God 
is  behind  all  events. 

And  God  is  love.  All  events,  there- 
fore, must  be  consistent  with  His  love. 
And  we  must  recognize  this,  if  we  would 
keep  ourselves  in  its  glad  and  constant 
enjoyment.  When  any  bright  thing  be- 
falls you;  when  any  one  says  anything 
kind  of  you;  when  an  unexpected  gift 
falls  at  your  feet;  when  a  new  friendship 
enters  your  life;  when  the  sun  shines 
brightly  on  your  path  —  look  up,  and 
know  that  all  lovely  and  helpful  things 
are  the  children  of  the  love  of  God.  Do 
not  be  so  occupied  with  the  gift,  or  the 
channel  through  which  it  comes,  as  to 
ignore  the  Giver  Himself. 

And  when  unkind  things  are  said  or 
done;  when  robber  bands  steal  your 
goods,  as  Job's;  when  friends  disappoint 
you,  and  Shimeis  curse — then  look  up, 
and  be  sure  that  all  is  permitted  by  a  love 
that  cares  for  you  none  the  less  tenderly 
when  it  withholds  its  help.    "Jesus  loved 


XTbe  Givcv  an^  tbe  (3it\'3.     157 

Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus: 
wher  He  heard,  therefore,  that  he  was 
sick.  He  abode  two  days  still  in  the  same 
place  where  He  was." 

Thus  every  event  that  comes  to  you 
will  link  you,  by  a  golden  clasp,  with 
the  love  of  God. 

///.  Be  chaimels  of  God's  love  to  others. 
Inthe  spring,  the  vine-root, bursting  with 
life-power,  longs  for  branches  through 
which  it  may  pour  its  tides  of  life  forth 
to  refresh  thirsty  souls;  and  surely  the 
love  of  God  is  ever  seeking  for  kindred 
hearts,  who  shall  be  channels  of 
communication  with  the  world.  The 
world,  too,  needs  love.  There  is  nothing 
which  can  slake  its  thirst,  but  the  love 
of  God.  It  will  ever  thirst  again  till  it 
drinks  of  that  stream. 

Why  should  not  you,  my  reader,  be  one 
of  the  channels  through  which  God's 
love  may  pour  itself  out  to  refresh  him 
that  is  weary  ?  If  you  are  willing,  you  will 
find  yourself  beginning  to  care  for  men 
as  never  before;  and  there  will  be  a  new 


rss        ConcluMng  Morbs. 

power  of  affection  opened  within  you, 
which  shall  betray  its  Divine  origin. 

And  what,  think  you,  shall  be  the  ef- 
fect of  this  upon  yourself,  except  to  teach 
you  the  meaning  of  God's  love  to  yoii'^ 
For  the  water  which  flows  along  a  chan- 
nel can  refresh  the  flowerets  that  grow 
upon  its  banks.  Those  that  live  in  love 
to  others  know  the  love  of  God  to  them- 
selves; and  to  keep  other  men  in  our  love 
is  to  keep  ourselves  in  the  love  of  God. 
Forsake  wrath,  jealousy,  and  envy,  in 
the  power  of  God's  grace,  and  learn  the 
new,  glad  lesson  of  love. 

IV.  Associate  luith  those  who  love  God. 
No  one  of  us  can  know  the  fulness  of 
God's  love  in  the  loneliness  of  our  own 
communings.  We  need  to  associate  with 
all  saints  to  learn  its  height  and  depth, 
and  length  and  breadth.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
isolate  ourselves  from  communion  with 
Christians,  or  from  corporate  Church- 
life;  and  it  is  my  earnest  advice  to  al/ 
young  Christians,  as  to   all  secret  dis-= 


©ur  Hssoctations,  1 59 

ciples,  to  find  some  happy  centre  of 
Christian  fellowship,  and  join  it. 

We  see  the  love  of  God  from  different 
angles.  It  shines  on  us  with  different 
hues.  And  no  one  can  fully  appreciate 
it,  and  its  full  extent,  who  has  not  spoken 
with  other  Christians  about  it,  and  tried 
to  catch  some  new  beauty  in  their  con- 
ceptions. Talk  much  of  the  love  of  God 
to  those  around  you.  Hear  them,  and  ask 
them  questions.  So  shall  your  heart  burn 
within  you,  and  Jesus  will  make  Himself 
known  in  some  deeper,  sweeter  guise. 
Christian  converse  is  a  great  help  towards 
theabidingrealization  of  the  love  of  God. 

V.  Live  i?i  obedience  to  every  k?io'wn  com- 
mand. "If  ye  keep  My  commandments, 
ye  shall  abide  in  My  love;  as  I  have  kept 
My  Father's  commandments,  and  abide 
in  His  love."  This  is  the  secret  -  to 
search  the  Word  to  see  if  you  are  keep- 
ing all  His  commands;  to  seek  and  keep 
His  laws;  to  put  the  government  upon 
His  shoulders;  to  do  His  will,  at  what- 


i6o        ConcluMna  Mor^s♦ 

ever  cost  to  self-will;  to  obey,  not  to  win 
aught  from  His  hand,  but  just  to  please 
Him;  to  ask  forgiveness  and  restoration 
if  you  have  erred  or  gone  astray.  Here 
is  the  essential  condition  of  walking  in 
the  light  of  His  love. 

Who  has  not  been  conscious  of  a  sweet 
manifestation  of  love,  when  some  diffi- 
cult duty  has  been  done  for  His  dear  sake 
alone?  As  when  Jesus  was  baptized,  the 
heavens  were  opened,  and  the  voice  of 
God  declared  Him  to  be  His  beloved 
Son. 

Let  us  "walk  in  the  light,  as  He  is  in 
tne  light" :  so  shall  we  be  conscious 
not  of  light  only,  but  of  love. 

There  is  no  need  for  us  to  live  in  a  cold 
and  arctic  zone,  if  only  we  fulfil  the  con- 
ditions here  set  down.  We  may  not  al- 
ways be  equally  buoyant,  or  equally  ex- 
uberant; or  equally  responsi\'e;  but  we 
shall  never  lose  the  bright  glad  con- 
sciousness that  we  are  loved  by  the  Love 
that  spared  not  the  only-begotten  Son. 


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